CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TECHNICAL REPORT
AND STATISTICS

FOREWORD FROM
AFC PRESIDENT
On behalf of the Asian Football
Confederation I congratulate the Islamic
Republic of Iran for their continued
dominance of futsal in Asia – winning their
12th title in the AFC Futsal Championship.
This marks a remarkable record for the
Islamic Republic of Iran and the pages of
this technical report will reflect on their
success as well as identify the new and
exciting trends that are developing in this
fast-growing part of the game.
Congratulations must also go to the
beaten finalists Japan as well as the third
and fourth placed Iraq and Uzbekistan who
all showed great skill and commitment to
reach the latter stages of this competition.
Chinese Taipei must also be congratulated
on being outstanding hosts delivering
venues and a tournament worthy of the
CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
AFC’s stated ambition of staging world
class competitions to encourage the
game to grow.
It is also gratifying that the Chinese Taipei
FA is one of the newer hosts for a major
AFC competition and this reflects our
desire to spread the message of football
to every corner of this great continent.
We must thank the Member Associations
for their continued support of AFC
Competitions as well as the AFC Futsal
and Beach Soccer Committee, the AFC
Competitions Committee and AFC
Referees’ Committee as well as the AFC
Technical Department and the AFC
Technical Study Group for their hard work
in compiling this report.
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa
AFC President
CONTENTS
04
COMPETITION
05
MATCH
25
RESULTS &
30
TEAM
79
GOALSCORING
84
TECHNICAL
87
TALKING
89
PLAYERS
OVERVIEW REPORTS STATISTICS PROFILES ANALYSIS TOPICS POINTS TO WATCH

98
MAN OF
102 105 108 110 113 115 117
COACHES REFEREEING STAR AWARDS VENUE TECHNICAL EXTRA-TIME
THE MATCH TALKING POINTS REPORT SELECTION STUDY GROUP
 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

COMPETITION OVERVIEW
The AFC Futsal Championship Chinese Taipei 2018 was successfully held in Taipei City from February 1 - 11, 2018.
Being the 15th edition of the AFC Futsal Championship, there was a marked improvement in the overall level of
competition with the majority of the teams showing great progress, resulting in high tempo matches.

Sixteen team participated in this tournament which was eventually won by IR Iran, defeating Japan in the final. Third
place went to Uzbekistan, with Iraq grabbing the fourth spot. In total, 32 matches were played and a total of 203 goals
were scored by various teams. The overall top scorer was Hossein Tayebibidgoli from IR Iran who scored 14 goals.

The Most Valuable Player of the competition title was awarded to IR Iran’s Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh who had a
major influence on his team’s matches and the overall competition. For collecting the most Fair Play points in the
competition, Iraq were awarded the Fair Play Award. Overall, it was an exciting and competitive tournament, with
good sportsmanship and team work all around.

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MATCH REPORTS

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MATCH REPORTS
SUMMARY OF THE TOURNAMENT
GROUP A
Vietnam bounced back from an opening day 2-1 loss
to Malaysia, to register wins over Bahrain (2-1) and
hosts Chinese Taipei (3-1) to claim top spot in Group
A. Bahrain, however, upset the hosts to finish second
in the group with a superior goal difference with four
points. The West Asians kicked off their campaign with
a 2-2 draw against Chinese Taipei, lost 1-2 to Vietnam
on Matchday Two, but scored a convincing 3-1 win
over Malaysia to make a first-ever appearance in the
knockout stage.
Group B
Japan were perfect as they won Group B with
comprehensive wins over Tajikistan (4-2), Korea
Republic (5-2) and 2016 runners-up Uzbekistan (4-2).
The Uzbeks beat Korea Republic 13-2 and followed that
up with a 4-2 win over Tajikistan but fell to three-time
champions Japan on Matchday Three to finish as group
runners-up.
GROUP C
Islamic Republic of Iran showcased a dominant
performance in Group C, claiming three wins in three
matches, scoring 30 goals and only conceding four.
The eventual champions started their campaign in
spectacular fashion with 14-0 win over tournament
debutants Myanmar. China PR were able to avoid a
whitewash with Xu Yang finding the back of the net in
the 20th minute but IR Iran were still relentless as they
won 11-1 win, before beating Iraq 5-3. Iraq finished
second in the group with six points after wins over
China PR (4-2) and Myanmar (3-2).
GROUP D
Lebanon were impressive in their journey to the quarter-
finals, having started their Group D tie with a 2-2 draw
with Kyrgyz Republic but made headlines after beating
ASEAN champions Thailand 5-2, before coming back
from a goal down to secure a 2-1 win over Jordan to
finish as group winners. Thailand began their campaign
with a 5-1 victory over Jordan but had their last eight
hopes in jeopardy after a 5-2 loss to the Lebanese.
They eventually found their rhythm on Matchday Three
to score an 8-1 win over Kyrgyz Republic to finish as
group runners-up.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
QUARTER-FINALS
LEBANON vs IRAQ
In the quarter-final against Lebanon, Iraq goalkeeper
Zaher Mahdi was the star of the show when he judged
correctly to parry away a spot-kick as Iraq won 9-8 on
penalties, following a 2-2 draw after extra time to make
their first-ever appearance in the semi-finals for a meeting
with Japan.
IR IRAN vs THAILAND
Technically gifted, Iran’s impressive 9-1 victory over
Thailand in the quarter-finals proved that they are in
a class of their own. The defending champions took a
five-goal lead in the first half with strikes from Ahmed
Esmaeilpour, Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh and Hossein
Tayebi. Jirawat Sornwichian found one back but further
goals from Mahdi Javid, Mohammad Shajari and Tayebi,
sealed a comprehensive win for Iran.
JAPAN vs BAHRAIN
Bruno Garcia’s men were physically strong and had
experience on their side as they comfortably dispatched
Bahrain 2-0 to march into the last four. Just seven minutes
into the match, Japan took the lead after Koichi Saito
finished smartly and 21-year- old Shimizu Kazuya sealed
their win and a 14th semi-final appearance.
VIETNAM vs UZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan edged gritty Vietnam for a semi-final spot
after a 3-1 win. Mashrab Adilov gave Uzbekistan the
lead in the first half, while Davron Choriev doubled
their lead after the break but Vietnam responded with
Phung Trong Luan’s strike, only for Ilhomjon Hamroev
to score in the final minute, which meant a date with
Iran for their final four tie.

MATCH REPORTS
SEMI-FINALS
IRAQ vs JAPAN
Japan displayed their brilliance as they advanced to
the final after defeating Iraq 3-0, with three first half
goals from Kaoru Morioka, Ryosuke Nishitani and Yuki
Murota sealing a ninth AFC Futsal Championship final
appearance.
IR IRAN vs UZBEKISTAN
The tie between the two was a repeat of the 2016 final,
but IR Iran flexed their muscles to beat Uzbekistan 7-1,
and inched closer to defending the title. Javid scored
a hat-trick, while skipper Hassanzadeh and Tayebi
CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
too etched their names on the scoresheet in the first
half. They continued to display strength in the second
half as the captain and eventual tournament top
goalscorer Tayebi each scored again to seal a 13th final
appearance.
3rd/4th PLACE PLAY-OFF
IRAQ vs UZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan clinched third place after defeating Iraq
2-1 in a penalty shoot-out after the exciting play-
off ended 4-4. It was a back-and- forth affair as both
sides virtually took turns scoring, and Hassan Dakheel
looked to have ended the game with his 35th minute FINAL
JAPAN vs IR IRAN
IR Iran were simply unstoppable as they secured their
12th AFC Futsal Championship title after
beating Japan 4-0. Hassanzadeh gave IR Iran the lead
in the first half, and further goals from
Farhad Tavakoli, Tayebi and Hassanzadeh secured them
a second consecutive title. Japan had
their moments of brilliance, coming dangerously close
numerous times, but the Central Asians
defence stood strong.
strike but Uzbek captain Artur Yunusov earned his
second of the game a minute from time to push the
game to penalties. Akmaljon Khazratulove made the
difference, becoming Uzbekistan’s hero as he fended
off shots from Dakheel and Zainal Abdeen to ensure
his team won the shoot-out.
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MATCH REPORTS
MATCHDAY 1
GROUP A: VIETNAM 1-2 MALAYSIA
Mohamad Awalluddin Nawi struck with just 2.5 seconds
remaining on the clock as Malaysia sealed a dramatic
2-1 win over Vietnam in Group A of the AFC Futsal
Championship Chinese Taipei 2018.
It was an end to end encounter between the two
Southeast Asian sides, with Vietnam finding the back of
the net late in the first half, before Awalluddin equalised
for Malaysia in the 36th minute and then turning hero
with the winner.
Vietnam had the better start with several shots on target,
but after racking up three fouls in just two minutes, they
had to take their aggressive play down a notch which
gave Malaysia some room to breathe.
Malaysia had very few opportunities to cross over
into opposition territory, and had to make the best of
every chance and came close in the sixth minute but
goalkeeper Ngo Dinh Thuan pulled off a superb double
save from Syed Aizad Daniel and Yazid Kamaruzan to
deny Malaysia an early advantage.
In the 14th minute, Vietnam moved on a counter with
Phung Trong Luan surging down the middle before a
swift through pass found Vu Duc Tung in the box, but his
shot was slightly off the mark.
A minute from half-time, Vietnam’s dynamic duo was at it
again as Trong Luan’s pass found Duc Tung on the right
flank and he made no mistake with his twist and turn
strike into the bottom right of the net to take the lead.
Thirty minutes in, Malaysia seemed to have found their
momentum with their quick and accurate passes but
Duc Tung’s prodding of the backline kept Chiew Chun
Yong’s side alert and cautious of making any risky plays.
Looking for an opening day win, Malaysia opted for the
power play with five minutes left on the clock, pushing
Vietnam into a defensive position for the first time.
The strategy paid dividends a minute later when Khairul
Effendy’s pinpoint pass found Awalluddin in the box for
an easy tap in to level the scores.
Just when a draw looked to be the outcome, Awalludin
scored his second when Vietnam goalkeeper Dinh
Thuan failed to hold on to the ball.
GROUP A: CHINESE TAIPEI 2-2 BAHRAIN
Bahrain scored two minutes from time to share the points
with Chinese Taipei as the two teams opened their AFC
Futsal Championship 2018 Group A campaign with a 2-2
draw at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
Mohamed Abdulla opened the scoring for Bahrain in the
second half, but Chinese Taipei rebounded with goals from
Huang Tai-Hsiang and Lin Chih-hung, only for Ali Saleh to
score the equaliser two minutes from time.
In a match between equals, Chinese Taipei’s first real
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
chance came only 10 minutes into the match when a quick
backpass found Chi Sheng-fa just outside the box but his
shot struck the upright.
Bahrain showed that they were fearsome with their set-
pieces, but the hosts were disciplined and safely guarded
their goalmouth.
A minute into the second half, Chinese Taipei came close
to taking the lead with Chi’s through pass into the box but
Huang Po Chun failed to connect and the ball was pushed
away by goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed.
In the 27th minute, a quick counter led to a one-on-one with
Chinese Taipei’s Chiang Hsin Wei but despite sidestepping
the keeper, Saleh Anan missed a golden opportunity as he
released the ball too late.
Bahrain eventually took the lead when they were awarded
a free-kick in the 27th minute, which Mohamed Al Sandi
swiftly took and Abdulla’s finishing touch did the trick.
Chinese Taipei kept their composure, and responded with
a goal of their own with Chi’s pass into the box saw Huang
finding the back of the net with his shot to the top right at
the half hour mark.
Jose Adil Amarante’s charges continued to pile on the
pressure and six minutes later, Bahrain lost possession after
being heavily pressed and Lin, who was unguarded near
the halfline mark, hit home for Chinese Taipei to take the
lead.
 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MATCH REPORTS
As the match reached its final two minutes, Bahrain
activated the power play which immediately bore fruit
with Saleh equalising with a near range effort.
GROUP B: UZBEKISTAN 13-2 KOREA REPUBLIC
A dominant display from Uzbekistan saw them get
their AFC Futsal Championship 2018 campaign off to a
winning start in Group B with a comprehensive 13-2 win
over Korea Republic.
They took a deserved lead in the third minute when Artur
Yunusov fired home past Seo Jung-woo from the right
hand side of the goal.
Straight from the kick-off, Uzbekistan won the ball back
and within 10 seconds of his first, Choriev had added a
second and Uzbekistan’s lead was extended to three.
but a brace in the final minute by Mashrab Adilov put the
exclamation mark on a thoroughly dominant performance.
GROUP B: JAPAN 4-2 TAJIKISTAN
Japan overcame a determined Tajikistan to register
a 4-2 win in their opening Group B encounter at the
AFC Futsal Championships 2018.
The Samurai Blue couldn’t have asked for a better start
when they opened the scoring after just five seconds,
thanks to a thunderous strike from Kazuya Shimizu on
the right touch line.
Despite the early setback, Tajikistan regrouped and
drew level five minutes later when Fayzali Sardorov
pounced on a sloppy turnover by Kaoru Morioka and
slid the ball past Higor Pires in the Japanese goal.
Both sides continued to attack in the second half, with
Japan in particular having a number of chances to add to
their three goals from the first half.
It took until the 37th minute, when Tajikistan had deployed
the powerplay, for Japan to get the better of Tajikistan’s
resolute defence and put the game beyond doubt.
Playing up in midfield, goalkeeper Firuz Bekmurodov’s
pass was intercepted and Morioka made no mistake from
inside his own half to seal the three points for Japan.

Such was Uzbekistan’s dominance that Korea Republic Japan showed their fighting spirit by hitting back
were denied any clear chances and resorted to the almost straight away, going ahead again in the ninth
powerplay, effectively having five outfield players for minute when Kazuhiro Nibuya fired home from the
extended periods of time. right.

It took just over 60 seconds in the second half for
Uzbekistan to add a seventh courtesy of a fine finish from
a tight angle by Khusniddin Nishonov, before Dilmurod
Shavkatov made it eight just two minutes later.
Two goals from Ilhomjon Hamroev and Dilshod
Rakhmatov took Uzbekistan into double figures, before
Anaskhon Rakhmatov made it 11-1 after 37 minutes.
Jang scored his second of the match two minutes later,
Two minutes later and Japan’s lead was extended to
3-1 with arguably the goal of the game, with Japan’s
incisive one-touch passing from their own half
producing the perfect counter attack, with Tomoki
Yoshikawa placing the ball on a platter for Shota Hoshi.
Just when Japan looked comfortable Tajikistan hit
back again when Dilshod Salomov finished from an
acute angle to bring it to 3-2 as the teams headed to
the half time break.

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MATCH REPORTS
MATCHDAY 2
GROUP C: IRAQ 4-2 CHINA PR
Iraq came from two goals down at half time to defeat
China PR 4-2 in an entertaining and drama-filled Group
C match to kick off their AFC Futsal Championships 2018
campaign.
Looking to exact revenge for their 6-1 loss to Iraq at the
same stage of the competition two years ago, China PR
started on the front foot and took the lead in the sixth
minute when Gu Haitao smashed home a left-footed
effort from the edge of the area.
They doubled their lead five minutes later after a
defensive blunder from the Iraqi goalkeeper. After a
set play from a free-kick, Li Jianjia’s shot could only be
parried by Yahya Abdulnoor, falling into the path of Zhao
Liang to tap home.
Iraq mounted attack after attack to finish the half, but
China PR’s defence held firm ensuring they went into the
break with their 2-0 lead intact.
It took only three minutes in the second half for Iraq
to pull a goal back, albeit in fortunate circumstances.
Salim Faisal’s long range effort had plenty of power, but
was heading wide until it hit the body of Hasan Ali and
deflected into the net.
Iraq’s pressure finally saw them draw level after 28
minutes when Hasan’s long range free-kick deflected
off the leg of goalkeeper Zhu Bei and Zhang Yameng’s
attempted goal line clearance instead found the back of
the net.
Hasan thought he had his hat-trick in the 32nd minute
when he headed into an open net after a failed powerplay
attempt from China PR, but the referee instead penalised
him for a foul for a shove on Zhao Liang.
China PR were temporarily reduced to four men after
Zhang Yameng was shown a second yellow with six
minutes left to play, and had another man sent off with
two minutes remaining after Li Jianjia was adjudged to
have handled the ball in the area.
From the resulting penalty Hasan Dakheel made no
mistake, smashing the ball past Zhu Bei to give Iraq the
lead for the first time in the match.
Iraq’s win was secured when Rafid Hameed headed
into an open net in the last second after China PR had
enacted the powerplay and thrown players forward.
GROUP D: KYRGYZ REPUBLIC 2-2 LEBANON
Kyrgyz Republic and Lebanon had to be satisfied with a
share of the points after they played to a 2-2 draw in their
AFC Futsal Championship Group D tie.
Kyrgyz Republic took the lead in the first half through
Maksat Alimov’s effort, but Lebanon bounced back with
Ahmad Kheir El Dine scoring two goals, only for Adilet
Imanbekov to equalise in the 35th minute.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
Kyrgyz Republic nearly had a dream start though as
less than a minute in, Adilet Kultaev’s shot rocked the
crossbar.
As the match progressed, neither side had total control
or majority of possession, with both sharing almost
equal opportunities on target but Kyrgyz Republic had
to reduce their aggression after mounting five fouls 15
minutes into the game.
But that didn’t keep them in their half and in the 16th
minute, Alimov latched onto a deflected ball to find the
bottom right of the net for Kyrgyz Republic to take the
lead. Two minutes later, Lebanon had a chance to draw
level when Kyrgyz Republic accumulated a sixth foul but
Hassan Zeitoun’s shot from the second penalty mark
missed to the left.
Lebanon returned more composed in the second half
and quick passes between Karim Abou Zeid and El Dine
saw them break through the Kyrgyz backline with ease
and El Dine made no mistake with a close range effort to
level the scores in the 22nd minute.
In the 28th minute, El Dine scored his second goal when
he was left unmarked to hit home from the middle, but
Kyrgyz Republic equalised seven minutes later through
Imanbekov’s strike.
GROUP C: IR IRAN 14-0 MYANMAR
Defending champions Islamic Republic of Iran

MATCH REPORTS
underlined their title credentials with a comprehensive
14-0 victory over Myanmar in their Group C opener.
IR Iran wasted little time asserting their authority with
two goals inside the first minute to immediately take
control of the match.
The first came within seconds of the kick-off when IR
Iran forced a turnover and AFC Futsal Player of the Year
Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh slid the ball across for a simple
tap in for Mahdi Javid.
Thirty seconds later, they had their second of the
evening courtesy of Hassanzadeh, who added Iran’s
third and his second a further three minutes later.
Iran then proceeded to go on a scoring spree, adding
five goals in the space of three minutes, which included
a run of three goals in a minute, to put the match
beyond doubt half way through the first half.
Myanmar’s defence solidified in the final 10 minutes
of the first half, with Yan Paing Hein making some
wonderful saves, to restrict Iran to just one further goal
for the half, which saw them head in at half time with a
9-0 lead.
In the opening 10 minutes of the second half Myanmar’s
defence held firm, with IR Iran scoring only once - in the
22nd minute when Javid scored his third of the evening.
But a flurry of late goals – a further four in the final 10
minutes – added some extra icing on the cake for Iran.
In the end, Hassanzadeh and Javid ended with four
goals apiece, while Hossein Tayebi tallied a hat-trick.
CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
GROUP D: THAILAND 5-1 JORDAN sprint before passing to Chaemcharoen, who was on the
Thailand kicked off their AFC Futsal Championship left flank to hit home at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
Group D campaign with a comprehensive 5-1 win over
Jordan. Less than 20 seconds into the second half, Jordan
reduced their deficit when Abu Shaikha sidestepped
Thailand ended the first half with three goals from Chaivat Jamrajang in front of the box before unleashing
Apiwat Chaemcharoen and Jirawat Sornwichian, while a superb strike to the top left corner.
Musa Abu Shaikha found the back of the net for Jordan
in the second half, but further goals by Jetsada Chudech Thailand upped their tempo and in a counter attack
and Kritsada Wongkaeo were enough to secure all three in the 33rd minute, Chudech regained their two-goal
points. lead with a close range shot, before skipper Wongkaeo
etched his name on the scoreboard a few minutes later,
From the beginning, both sides were cautious about courtesy of Thueanklang’s pass into the box.
making mistakes and adopted a guarded approach.
Thailand, however, almost had free reign of the ball, as
Jordan kept to their half and looked to pounce on the
counter and one such move in the seventh minute saw
them making their first attempt.
However, it backfired as Suphawut Thueanklang neatly
intercepted a pass and surged down the other end
with Chaemcharoen to set up a two-on-one against
goalkeeper Majed Mahmoud Alhafi, who had no chance
against Chaemcharoen’s close range effort.
Three minutes later, Samer Naser was shown the red
card for denying a goal scoring opportunity with a hand
ball, and Sornwichian duly converted the penalty to give
Thailand a two-goal advantage.
Jordan had a few close attempts of their own, but
Thailand had their own share of moving on the counter,
and two minutes from half-time Chudech broke into a
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MATCH REPORTS
MATCHDAY 3
GROUP B: KOREA REPUBLIC 2-5 JAPAN
Four goals from Kaoru Morioka helped Japan advance
to the quarter-finals following a 5-2 win over Korea
Republic in Group B.
Morioka opened the scoring in the first half but Park
Young-jae leveled soon after as Korea proved resilient
opposition to go into the interval all square.
The Japanese frontman then scored twice in quick
succession either side of Chun Jin-woo’s equaliser,
before teeing up Manabu Takita for Japan’s fourth and
then rounding off the scoring late on as Korea Republic
were eliminated.
Having suffered a 13-2 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan
in their opening fixture, Korea Republic got off to a
better start against their East Asian rivals at University of
Taipei Gymnasium as they withstood the early pressure
from one of the tournament favourites.
The Koreans then could have gone ahead eight minutes
in but Chun was denied by goalkeeper Higor Pires as
the tie remained firmly in the balance.
Kazuhiro Nibuya fired wide for Japan midway through
the first half, before the three-time winners finally broke
the deadlock a minute later when Morioka held off the
Korea defence, turned and drilled his shot past Seo
Jung-woo.
CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
Quick thinking by Lee Min-yong helped Korea level the Yoshikawa then set up Morioka for his fourth of the
scores in the 13th minute as the captain’s kick-in found game to seal victory and Japan’s place in the last eight
Park just a yard from goal to tap home. as Korea’s second successive defeat confirmed their
elimination.
As an end-to-end game ensued, Seo proved a solid
last line of defence, denying Japan on a number of
occasions, and it was Korea who could have gone into
the interval in front but Lee was narrowly off target after
being teed up by Lim Yeung-seung.
Kazuya Shimizu almost put Japan back in front early
in the second half when he was just inches away from
connecting with Tomoki Yoshikawa’s dinked cross.
Substitute goalkeeper Yushi Sekiguchi was then called
into action to save from Jung Soo-in and Cho Byung-
girl in quick succession as Korea grew in belief that they
could cause a major upset.
GROUP A: BAHRAIN 1-2 VIETNAM
Morioka then fired Japan back in front with a fine Vietnam kept their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-
effort from distance, only for Korea to equalise almost finals alive after a 2-1 win over Bahrain at the Xinzhuang
immediately after through Chun to spark jubilant Gymnasium.
celebrations on the sidelines.
Vietnam had suffered a last second 2-1 defeat to
But Japan retook the lead midway through the second Malaysia on Matchday One, while Bahrain had settled
half as Morioka completed his hat-trick with a simple for a 2-2 draw with hosts Chinese Taipei.
tap-in as a gripping contest unfolded.
Goals from Nguyen Dac Huy and Phung Trong Luan in
Japan opened up a two-goal lead for the first time the first half proved to be enough to secure three points
when Morioka found Takita, who made no mistake in for Vietnam in the Group A tie and a fighting chance to
firing past Seo with five minutes remaining. reach the knockout phase.
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MATCH REPORTS
Vietnam kept to the same intensity displayed in their
opening match against Malaysia, knowing defeat
meant they had no chance of progressing, and Bahrain
used that to their advantage.
When in possession, the West Asians pulled Vietnam
into their half before launching long range crosses,
hoping to catch their opponents by surprise but Miguel
Rodrigo’s charges were quick on their feet and reacted
fast to smother the Bahrain plans.
Ali Saleh and captain Mohamed Al Sandi were Bahrain’s
dangermen as they had several close attempts on goal
which either struck the framework or were pushed away
by goalkeeper Ngo Dinh Thuan.
Against the run of play, Dac Huy opened the scoring
for Vietnam in the 18th minute, courtesy of Co Tri Kiet’s
pass with Dac Huy steering the ball into the bottom
right corner.
It didn’t break Bahrain’s spirit and less than 20 seconds
after the restart, Mohamed Abdulla’s shot bounced
between the two bars but was adjudged to have not
crossed the line.
A minute to the break, Trong Luan doubled Vietnam’s
advantage from a set-piece with a close range shot
which gave custodian Sayed Mohamed no chance to
react.
Adel Marzooq’s charges returned in the second half
more passionate and reduced the deficit in the 29th
CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
minute when Chu Van Tien deflected Al Sandi’s shot
into the net.
In the last four minutes, the tempo of the game
increased and Bahrain committed their sixth foul but
Pham Duc Hoa’s shot from the second penalty spot was
deflected by Sayed Mohamed onto the upright.
Power play was next on the list for Bahrain, with Jassam
Saleh as the extra man but the goal they needed eluded
them.
GROUP B: TAJIKISTAN 2-4 UZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan made it two wins from two as a 4-2 victory fixture, Tajikistan then started the second half brightly as
over Tajikistan in Group B saw them edge closer to a they sought their first points of the campaign, although
spot in the quarter-finals. it was Uzbekistan who almost stretched their lead when
Ilhomjon Hamroev’s effort was cleared off the line by
After an even opening period to the game at University Dilshod Salomov.
of Taipei Gymnasium, it was Uzbekistan who struck first
in the ninth minute when Konstandin Svidirov squared Sobirdzhon Gulyakov then struck the woodwork for
a free-kick for Dilshod Rakhmatov to finish. Tajikistan and saw his follow-up effort saved by ‘keeper
Rustam Umarov, before the Uzbeks opened up a two-
The 2016 runners-up then doubled their advantage in goal cushion once more as Choriev found Mashrab
the 12th minute through Davron Choriev, whose cheeky Adilov, who made no mistake with his finish.
backheel deflected off goalkeeper Firuz Bekmurodov
and into the back of the net. With Tajikistan pushing forward in an attempt to get
back into the game, they almost pulled one back
But the Tajiks pulled one back three minutes before through the most unlikely of sources as goalkeeper
the interval when Rahmonali Sharipov slipped in Umed Bekmurodov dribbled the length of the pitch, only to
Kusiev to side-foot home as the sides went into the see his goalbound effort blocked by Umarov.
break with just a goal separating them.
Uzbekistan then all but secured the three points when
Having pushed Japan all the way in their opening Choriev took advantage of Bekmurodov’s advanced
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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MATCH REPORTS

position to finish from the edge of the Uzbek penalty

area.

The Tajiks scored their second with just over a minute

left on the clock when Salomov fired home a penalty
after Nekruz Alimakhmadov had been upended
by Artur Yunusov, but it proved too little too late as
Uzbekistan held out to claim back-to-back wins.

GROUP A: MALAYSIA 4-5 CHINESE TAIPEI

Lin Chih-hung’s 39th minute goal gave Chinese Taipei
a lifeline as they claimed a 5-4 win over Malaysia to top
Group A.

Chinese Taipei had taken a two-goal lead going into

the break, but Malaysia came back from 4-1 down to
draw level only for Chih-hung to seal the win in the final
seconds of the match.

After enjoying an opening day win, Malaysia started
patiently, taking their time to move down the final third,
but Chinese Taipei did well to intercept their passes
and react on the counter.
In one such instance in the eight minute, Lin Chien-
hsun surged down the right flank and unleashed a shot
which struck the bar, but Lai Ming-hui latched onto the
rebound and made no mistake from close range to
give Chinese Taipei the lead.
Chih-hung doubled their advantage with a superb
strike in the 13th minute, and Chinese Taipei were
given another chance when goalkeeper Azrul Hadee
Taufiq committed a back pass foul two minutes later,
but Huang Po-chun failed to convert the indirect free-
kick.
Chinese Taipei did not let up on their aggression after
the break, and less than a minute in, Chi Sheng-fa
etched his name on the scoresheet with a fine shot from
a corner set play.
In the 27th minute, Malaysia reduced the deficit when
Mohd Azwann Ismail latched on to a stray ball and slid
it in with ease, but Chinese Taipei regained their three-
goal lead five minutes later after moving on a counter
with Ming-hui finding the back of the net, courtesy of
Chien-hsun’s pass.
Chiew Chun Yong’s side immediately utilised the
power play, and Mohamad Awalluddin Nawi scored his
third goal of the tournament a minute later, before the
pressure of a five-man Malaysian side caused the host
nation to concede an own goal in the 35th minute.
Power player, Mohn Khairul Effendy found the
equaliser for Malaysia a few minutes later but Chih-
hung hit home for Chinese Taipei a minute from time
to take the win.

BACK TO CONTENTS

MATCH REPORTS
MATCHDAY 4
GROUP C: MYANMAR 2-3 IRAQ
Iraq, close having defeated China PR 4-2 on Matchday
One, would have been wereassured of, at least, second
place in the group with a win over Myanmar.
Iraq changed their approach, pressing Myanmar early
following their slow start against China PR.
Both teams were evenly matched, trading blows in the
opening minutes with Iraq’s Hasan Ali Jabbar coming
close to scoring only to find Myanmar goalkeeper Zwe
Pyae Sone up to the task.With five minutes left on the
clock, Iraq took the lead following Ko Ko Lwin’s dismissal
for handling the ball in the penalty box as Waleed Khalid
Fahem made no mistake from the spot to give Haitham
Abbas Bawei’s side the advantage.
Iraq continued to apply pressure on their opponents
but Rafid Hameed Eesa was dispossessed in his half and
Myanmar’s Khin Zaw Lin equalised following Myo Myint
Soe’s assist.
Iraq’s plan worked in the second half as they took the
lead through Hasan Ali Jabbar’s header in the 28th
minute after Zwe fumbled collecting a cross.
Myanmar replied four minutes later after an unmarked
Pyae Phyo Maung tapped into an empty net following an
indirect free-kick to level the score.
But Iraq were ahead again moments later, Fahem’s sitter
flying into an empty net to make it 3-2.
CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
GROUP D: JORDAN 1-3 KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
Kyrgyz Republic inched closer to the quarter-finals after
beating Jordan 3-1 at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
Maskat Alimov and Uulu Manas Abdrasul gave Kyrgyz
Republic a two-goal lead in the first half, with Qais Shabib
reducing Jordan’s deficit in the 27th minute. However, it
was shortlived hope for Jordan as Adilet Kultaev found
the back of the net to confirm three points for his side.
Kyrgyz Republic had played to a 2-2 draw with Lebanon
on Matchday One while it was Jordan’s second defeat,
having lost 5-1 to Thailand in their opening tie.
Kyrgyz Republic asserted their dominance from the get-
go with Emil Kanetov firing off an early warning shot
which struck the bar with just 20 seconds gone.
Jordan, however, could keep up with the high tempo
despite playing without key player Samer Naser, who
received a red card in their opening match against capitalise on the space and the score stayed at 2-0 going
Thailand. into the break.
Alimov opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Saleh Abu Jafer’s side returned in the second half more
he sidestepped Jordan skipper Ahmed Arab and found passionate, and Shabib made sure Jordan got on the
the top left of the net, before Kultaev easily intercepted scoreboard when he surged down the right flank and let
a back pass and set Manas Abdrasul to score from close fly a superb shot in the 27th minute.
range three minutes later.
Kyrgyz Republic regained their two-goal lead when
After amounting five fouls, Amirzhan Mukanov’s charges Kultaev was left unguarded in the box to tap the ball in
then played more cautiously but Jordan failed to with ease, courtesy of Adilet Imanbekov’s neat pass.
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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MATCH REPORTS
GROUP D: LEBANON 5-2 THAILAND backline under pressure, and despite Jose Maria Pazos
Lebanon produced a dominant performance as they changing their tactics with multiple flying substitutions,
scored a 5-2 win over Thailand to surge to the top of Thailand’s best chances came from counter-attacks but
Group D. the West Asians were too quick on their feet.
Ali Tneich furthered their advantage with a simple tap in
when Phoonpun failed to hold the ball in the 23rd minute,
and two minutes later, Thailand activated the power
play which backfired immediately with Hassan Zeitoun
sending a long range shot into an empty goalmouth.
Thailand maintained their five-man approach which
eventually paid dividends as Jetsada Chudech’s
shot deflected off the Lebanese defence and into
the goalmouth in the 27th minute, before Suphawut
Thueanklang shot from close range to make it 4-2 in the
29th.
it 6-0. China PR, however, did not give up as Xu Yang
pulled one back when he found an opening following
an assist by Shen Siming for a 6-1 score at halftime.
IR Iran wasted no time after the break as they picked
up the pace, firing five more goals with Ali Asghar
Hassanzadeh scoring two under three minutes.
Ahmad Esmaeilpour hit IR Iran’s ninth while Tavakoli’s
second three minutes later gave Team Melli a
commanding 10-1 lead before Tayyebi put the icing on
the cake, completing his hat-trick with three minutes left
to play.

Even when they were forced into a defensive position,

Lebanon needed a win to have a fighting chance of
reaching the knockout phase after playing to a 2-2 draw
with Kyrgyz Republic in their opener, and pressed the
issue from the beginning, while Thailand, who enjoyed a
5-1 win over Jordan, moved patiently with the ball.
However, it didn’t take long for Lebanon to take the lead,
as Mohammad Kobeissy found the back of the net from
a corner set play in the third minute, before Ahmad Kheir
El Dine intercepted a pass and beat goalkeeper Kanison
Phoonpun to double their advantage three minutes later.
Lebanon were definitely more coordinated in their
attacks, with quick one-two touches that kept Thailand’s
Lebanon looked dangerous and 30 seconds from time,
Ali El Homsi’s shot bounced into an unguarded goal to
seal the win.
GROUP C: CHINA PR 1-11 IR IRAN
Reigning champions Islamic Republic of Iran advanced
to the quarter-finals after defeating China PR 11-1 in a
Group C tie. China PR held firm for the first three minutes
but a defensive error proved costly as Iran took the lead
courtesy of Hossein Tayyebi’s strike.
IR Iran continued to control the match, firing two more
goals seven minutes later through Farhad Tavakoli and
Mahdi Javid. Javid added his second four minutes later
before Mohammad Shajari and Tayyebi’s strike made

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MATCH REPORTS
MATCHDAY 5
GROUP B: UZBEKISTAN 2-4 JAPAN
Japan headed into the quarter-finals as Group B
winners after they maintained their 100 percent record
with a 4-2 win over runners-up Uzbekistan.
With both teams coming into the tie at the University
of Taipei Gymnasium on the back of consecutive wins
the action began in closely-fought fashion, before
Uzbekistan opened the scoring within the third minute.
Farkhod Abdulmaylanov was found on the left by
goalkeeper Rustam Umarov and the No 8 tricked his
way past Rafael Henmi before curling the ball past
Japan custodian Higor Pires into the far corner of the
goal.
Koichi Saito went close to a swift reply with long range
rocket that rattled Umarov’s left-hand upright and,
with a little over 10 minutes of the first half remaining,
Ryosuke Nishitani was inches away from sliding home
Kaoru Morioka’s low cross, before Kazuya Shimizu also
hit the woodwork with a flick from close range.
Japan, though, needed less than a minute of the
restart to draw parity as Morioka slammed home his
sixth goal of the tournament from the edge of the area
after Dilshod Rakhmatov was penalised for a back-
pass. Another set-piece saw Japan take the lead three
minutes later as Shota Hoshi turned in Shimizu’s ball
into the box.
The Japan keeper then almost gave Uzbekistan a
golden opportunity to level when his wayward pass
landed at the feet of Davron Choriev but the forward’s
lofted effort clattered off the top of the upright.
Nevertheless the White Wolves sustained pressure did
result in an equaliser on 27 minutes, Uzbekistan captain
Artur Yunusov prodding home after Pires could only
parry the initial effort.
The back-and-forth nature of the match continued and
with six minutes remaining, Hoshi headed in to add his
second and Japan’s third of the night.
Uzbekistan resorted to the power play for the final
minutes of the game, but were further punished as
Ryosuke Nishitani drilled home from the halfway line
into an unguarded net as Japan made it three wins out
of three.
GROUP B: TAJIKISTAN 7-0 KOREA REPUBLIC
Tajikistan ended their campaign on a high note after
beating Korea Republic 7-0.
Both sides, who had suffered two successive losses
earlier, had no chance of advancing to the knockout
phase, and were playing for pride. Tajikistan finished
third in Group B, while Korea Republic finished bottom
of the standings.
Tajikistan had the lion’s share of possession in the
opening minutes with several shots on target, while
Korea Republic defended resolutely and played on the
counter.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
However, the Central Asians eventually broke the
deadlock in the 11th minute when goalkeeper Seo
Jung-woo neatly deflected Umed Kuziev’s shot but
Shavqat Halimov was in the box to hit home for
Tajikistan, before Bahodur Khojaev doubled their lead
a minute later.
Dilshod Salomov gave Tajikistan a comfortable lead
going into the break when he sidestepped Lee Doo-yong
before firing a stunning shot into the top right 20 seconds
before the half-time whistle at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
After the restart, Korea Republic played with more
intensity but couldn’t maintain possession as Tajikistan
did well to intercept their passes.
Huseyn Shodyev’s charges continued to impress with a
string of goals from Rahmonali Sharipov (23rd), Rustam
Hamidov (25th), Iqboli Vositzoda (27th) and Umed
Kuziev (39th).
Korea Republic had their moments of brilliance and
came close to finding a goal but goalkeeper Murodullo
Alikulov denied every attempt, before Umed Kuziev
sealed their win with a fine strike in the 39th minute.
GROUP A: MALAYSIA 1-3 BAHRAIN
An extraordinary last-gasp goal from captain Mohamed
Al Sandi helped secure Bahrain a historic AFC Futsal
Championship quarter-final place after they defeated
Malaysia 3-1 to take the runners-up place on goal
difference in Group A.

MATCH REPORTS
Having only won just one match in their entire AFC
Futsal Championship history, Bahrain – playing in
just their second edition of the tournament – booked
their place in the last eight along with Group A
winners Vietnam, with their opponents on the night,
and hosts Chinese Taipei missing out.
All four sides from Group A had a chance to qualify
for the knockout stages ahead of the final round of
ties, but Bahrain put themselves in the driving seat
at University of Taipei Gymnasium after taking the
lead inside the opening three minutes, as Ahmed
Abdulnabi back-flicked in an acrobatic volley from
Mohamed Al Sandi’s headed cross from the left.
And the same player repeated the trick to double the
advantage, latching onto a long, high ball forward
from the back to direct an angled drive across Firdaus
Razli into the opposite corner.
Needing at least a point to remain in the quarter-
finals’ reckoning, Malaysia responded but Bahrain
goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed was resolute as the
score remained 2-0 at the interval.
The Southeast Asians cranked up the pressure
on Mohamed’s goal after the restart and Yazid
Kamaruzuan hit the base of the Bahrain upright four
minutes into the second half.
It was not all one-way traffic, though, and Firdaus had
to be on his toes to perform a fine double save from
Al Sandi and then a third block to keep out Falah
Abbas on the rebound.
Bahrain then suffered a blow with 12 minutes
remaining as their custodian, who had been among
their stand-outs in the match, was stretchered off with
an injury to be replaced by Sayed Fadhel.
With time ticking down, Malaysia turned to the power
play in an attempt to reduce the deficit and the move
paid dividends as on the 33rd minute, Syed Aizad
rocketed home a fierce drive into the top right-hand
corner of the net.
But the outfield man advantage also ultimately
proved their undoing, albeit in spectacular fashion
as with less than a minute to go, the ball broke to
Al Sandi just outside his own area and the number
8 sent a powerful, looping effort all the way into
the unguarded net to spark frenzied celebrations
amongst the Bahrain players.
And just 30 seconds later there was even greater
scenes of joy for the West Asians with the final whistle
bringing news of Vietnam’s 3-1 win over Chinese
Taipei and with it the knowledge of a maiden quarter-
final appearance.
GROUP A: CHINESE TAIPEI 1-3 VIETNAM
Vietnam beat Chinese Taipei 3-1 to clinch top spot in
Group A and advance to the quarter-finals. It was a
remarkable achievement for Vietnam as they had lost
2-1 to Malaysia on Matchday One, before bouncing
back to beat Bahrain 2-1.
Huang Po Chun gave the hosts the lead in the first
half, but Vietnam replied in emphatic fashion with
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
goals from Vu Duc Tung, Pham Duc Hoa and Nguyen
Dac Huy to seal the win. Coupled with Bahrain’s 3-1
win over Malaysia, Chinese Taipei finished third and
missed out on the knockout phase.
With their qualification hopes on the line, both sides
entered the match looking for the win and played a
high tempo, tight marking game.
The two were nearly identical in their approach
to the game, but Vietnam just edged it in terms of
possession.
After some scintillating action, Huang found the back
of the net with a long range strike from a corner set
play to give Chinese Taipei the lead just 40 seconds
from the break.
The back-and-forth encounter continued in the
second half but Vietnam’s eagerness and persistence
would eventually pay off with Duc Tung’s twist and
turn kick into the top right, courtesy of Phung Trong
Luan’s pass at the half-hour mark, before Duc Hoa
doubled their advantage when he latched on to a
back pass and made no mistake from close range a
minute later.
A goal down and four minutes left on the clock,
Chinese Taipei opted for the power play and Vietnam
were finally pressed into a defensive formation, but
it backfired on the hosts with Dac Huy firing into an
unguarded goalmouth.

MATCH REPORTS
MATCHDAY 6
GROUP C: IRAQ 3-5 IR IRAN
Defending champions Islamic Republic of Iran edged
Iraq 5-3 to win Group C in a match that proved the first
real test of the holders’ credentials.
Both IR Iran and Iraq had already qualified for the
quarter-finals ahead of the match at University of
Taipei Gymnasium but, nevertheless, it was to be a
hard-fought and intriguing contest to see who would
top the standings.
With IR Iran having netted double figures in both
previous ties against Myanmar and China, Iraq
shocked the defending champions by taking the lead
with seven minutes played as Waleed Khalid burst up
the field on the counter to fire across Alireza Samimi
into the far corner.
But Iraq’s joy was cut-off in less than a minute. Hossein
Tayebi bravely challenged flying Iraq goalkeeper Zaher
Mahdi for Farhad Tavakoli’s chipped ball forward, and
his header looped into the unguarded net.
And with just over eight minutes remaining, IR Iran
completed the turnaround with Ali Hassanzadeh
notching his seventh of the tournament after his shot
took a wicked deflection off Hasan Ali to wrong-foot
Mahdi.
Iraq were determined to restore parity before the
break, though, and Samimi needed to be on his toes
to keep out several efforts, including a firmly-struck
shot from Salim Faisal that needed a particularly agile
parry, while at the other end Mahdi bravely smothered
at the feet of Tayebi.
It was a closely fought affair after the restart and it took
over five minutes before the next goal was scored,
Moslem Oladghobad tapping home Tayebi’s cross at
the back post to double IR Iran’s lead.
Firas Mohammed reduced the deficit to 3-2 by
converting Khalid’s cross with a little over 10 minutes
remaining but, as before, the Iraq goal triggered
an immediate response from their opponents with
Tavakoli side-footing in a fine strike to restore the two-
goal advantage.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued
with Mohammed adding his second and Iraq’s third
of the night as he headed home after a three-on-one
counterattack.
But it was Tayebi who had the final say in the game
as he took the outright lead in the top goalscorers
standings with his second of the night and eighth
overall to give IR Iran the 5-3 victory.
GROUP C: CHINA PR 5-3 MYANMAR
China PR came from a goal down to secure a 5-3 win
against Myanmar, finishing third in Group C.
Both sides were out of contention for the knockout
phase after suffering defeats to Islamic Republic of
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
Iran and Iraq, but were looking to end their campaign
with a win.
Tournament debutants Myanmar applied heavy
pressure from the start, and it didn’t take long for them
to open the scoring with Nyein Min Soe’s close range
strike, courtesy of Pyae Phyo Maung’s cross into the
box.
China PR were undaunted and used Myanmar’s
aggressiveness to their advantage, as they looked to
hit on the counter.
In one such instance in the 11th minute, Shen Siming
surged down the middle, dribbled past the Myanmar
defence before finding the back of the net with a left-
footed strike to level the scores.
Four minutes later, Zhang Yameng gave China PR the
lead when he was left unguarded on the left and let
loose a superb shot.
Thirty seconds from the half-time break, Kaung Chit
Thu received a yellow card for a bad tackle on Xu
Yang, and it proved to be costly as Gu Haito doubled
China PR’s advantage with a simple tap in from the
free-kick set piece.
Sergio Gargelli’s charges were dangerous in their set-
plays, and less than a minute into the second half they
were given another opportunity with Xu Yang sliding
the ball in from close range.

MATCH REPORTS
The East Asians continued to press for another goal,
but were forced into their half when Myanmar opted
for the power play in the 28th minute.
After six minutes of probing, they failed to find a
breakthrough and, instead, it was China PR who
widened their lead with Zhang shooting into an empty
goalmouth.
Pyae, however, completed his hat-trick with goals in the
36th and 38th minutes, but it was too little too late as
China PR held firm.
GROUP D: THAILAND 8-1 KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
Jose Maria Pazos’ side had suffered a shock defeat to
Lebanon in Group D and faced a must-win tie against
the Central Asians at University of Taipei Gymnasium,
but responded in style to ensure qualification for the
last eight.
Suphawut Thueanklang gave the ASEAN side the lead a
little over two minutes into the match, crisply volleying
Jirawat Sornwichian’s corner past Kirill Ermolov and in
off the inside of the post.
And the same player went close to doubling the
advantage for Thailand with four minutes of the half
remaining after he controlled a long ball upfield on his
chest and, in one motion, swiveled and fired a stunning
volley onto the crossbar.
Iuldashbai Salimbaev went close to restoring parity with
a header that went narrowly wide of Kanison Phoopun’s
right-hand post, but in an immediate response Thailand
went not just two goals ahead but three, with both
scored by the same player.
First Apiwat Chaemcharoen burst down the left,
beating a defender, before steering a smart shot across
Ermolov, and then moments later a Thailand corner
saw Jetsada Chudech’s ball into the area directed past
Ermoblov by Apiwat for his second of the night.
Thailand maintained their momentum after the interval
with Suphawut adding his second and his team’s fourth
from a set-piece less than a minute into the second half
before Nattavut Madyalan struck the foot of the Kyrgyz
Republic post.
Suphawut could have had his hat-trick with just over 10
minutes of the match remaining but Ermolov did well
to turn the Thai star’s penalty onto the post.
But shortly after the Kyrgyz Republic custodian was
picking the ball out of his net for a fifth time, when
Nattavut burst clear to beat him at his near post from
close range.
Former AFC Futsal Player of the Year Suphawut did
finally complete his hat-trick, successfully converting
from the spot and then seeing his third penalty of the
night hit the post, before Jetsada made it 7-0 with a
shot from outside the area that beat Ermolov.
Salimbaev did net a consolation for the Central Asians
after pouncing on a rebound with just over three
minutes remaining but Jetsada ensured it was Thailand
who rounded off the scoring and advanced to face a
huge quarter-final match-up with the holders.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
GROUP D: LEBANON 2-1 JORDAN
Lebanon fought back from a goal down to score a 2-1 win
over Jordan and claim top spot in Group D.
Lebanon’s reward was a quarter-final tie with Iraq. Iraq
finished second in Group C.
Jordan took the lead with Abdel Samara finding the back
of the net in the 13th minute, but Lebanon bounced back
with Ali El Homsi finding the equaliser before the half-time
whistle and Ali Tneich sealed their win with a close range
effort.
Lebanon knew a win would secure them a spot in the
quarter-finals, and played with the same intensity they
had shown in their win against Thailand, dominating
possession while Jordan looked to hit on the counter.
Samara and Mu’Taz Mohammad displayed great synergy
between them, and in the 13th minute, they combined
beautifully on a counter attack with Samara intercepting
a pass, sending it to his teammate in the attacking third,
before getting the ball back to finish sweetly to open the
scoring.
It was shortlived joy however, as El Homsi seized a golden
opportunity and fired a superb strike into the top right to
equalise two minutes later, while Tneich came close just
moments later to giving Lebanon the lead but struck the
woodwork.
Shahab Sofalmanash’s side had almost a free reign of the
ball, and six minutes into the second half, Tneich’s shot hit
the crossbar again but a minute later, he made no mistake
from close range to make it 2-1 for Lebanon.

MATCH REPORTS
QUARTER-FINALS
QF1: IR IRAN 9-1 THAILAND
Islamic Republic of Iran beat Thailand 9-1 in the first
quarter-final at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
The defending champions produced a dominant
performance, taking a five-goal lead in the first half
with strikes from Ahmed Esmaeilpour, Ali Asghar
Hassanzadeh and Hossein Tayebi.
Thailand’s Jirawat Sornwichian found one back but
further goals from Mahdi Javid and Mohammad Shajari,
sealed a comprehensive win for Iran.
Iran took the lead just 10 seconds into the match with
Hassanzadeh’s long range pass finding Esmaeilpour,
who made no mistake with a left-footed shot.
It was just the beginning for the title holders as
Esmaeilpour scored his second in the fourth minute
when he intercepted a pass and surged down the
middle, before hitting home.
Hassanzadeh turned goalscorer less than 30 seconds
after the restart from a set-play, tapping the ball in
from close range, before Tayebi made it 4-0 in the sixth
minute, courtesy of Farhad Tavakoli’s swift pass.
ASEAN champions Thailand’s first real chance came in
the 10th minute with Madyalan aiming for the top left
but Ali Reze Samimi palmed the the ball away.
Thailand conceded again in the 17th minute with
Tayebi’s superb ground shot to the bottom right corner.
There was to be no respite for the Southeast Asians as
Javid etched his name on the scoresheet two minutes
into the second half, but Thailand’s five-man assault
team avoided a whitewash with Sornwichian finding
the back of the net moments later.
Shajari restored Iran’s six-goal lead in the 25th minute
with a simple tap in, and as Thailand piled on the
pressure in search of goals, they were hit again.
Tayebi completed his hat-trick in the 36th minute,
before Shajari struck the final goal of the match.
QF 2: LEBANON 2-2 IRAQ 2-2 A.E.T 8-9 PENALTY
SHOOT-OUT
Iraq sealed their first-ever appearance in the AFC Futsal
Championship semi-finals after a 9-8 penalty shootout win
over Lebanon following a 2-2 draw at University of Taipei
Gymnasium.
Goalkeeper Zaher Mahdi was Iraq’s hero saving the match-
ending penalty with a smart dive to his right to deny
Mustafa Rhyem.
Having appeared in 10 editions of the competition, the
Iraqis finally broke new ground in reaching the final four,
progressing from the quarter-final phase at their third
attempt.
Although Lebanon controlled the tempo for the opening
periods, it was Iraq who took the lead from a route one play.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
Starting goalkeeper Yahya Abdulnoor’s long throw
upfield caught Lebanon’s backline out as Salim Faisal
lost his marker to volley past ‘keeper Hussein Hamadani.
The scores were drawn level midway through the half,
though, as Lebanon captain Kasem Koussam polished
off a quick-fire move involving Ahmad Kheir El Dine
and Ali El Homsi with an assured finish.
Abdulnoor then had to stretch out a leg to turn Karim
Abou Zeid’s low shot around the post as the Lebanese
finished on top at the interval.
The Cedars didn’t let up after the break and Ali Tneich
put his side 2-1 up just a minute and a half into the
second half. The number 10 was found on the right
flank by Mohamad Kobeissy and his shot deflected
past a wrong-footed Abdulnoor.
Iraq responded to going behind and Kobeisssy had
to be on his toes to clear at the feet of Waleed Khalid,
before Zainal Abdeen hit the post.
But the Iraqi pressure eventually told with Faisal adding
his second of the night with an assured finish to tie the
scores.
Kheir El Dine had a golden chance to re-take the lead
for Lebanon with just over a minute remaining but
Abdulnoor was equal to his close-range effort, and the
Iraq custodian continued to deny Lebanon with a series
of saves as the white-shirted side tried in vain to find
the winner in regulation time.

MATCH REPORTS
In extra-time, Kheir El Dine could have broken the
deadlock when he evaded Faisal and rounded
Abdulnoor but he couldn’t steer his shot into
the unguarded net from an acute angle. And the
goalkeepers continued to remain on top for the
duration of the additional 10 minutes with the tie going
to penalties.
Kheir El Dine failed to convert Lebanon’s first penalty
but Hasan Dakheel failed to take advantage when 2-1
up in what would have been the match-winner.
From then on, every player that stepped up successfully
converted until Rhyem, the 20th penalty-taker of the tie,
was the most unfortunate man on the pitch as his spot-
kick was saved to send Iraq into the semi-finals.
QF 3: JAPAN 2-0 BAHRAIN
The Bahrainis were appearing in their first-ever
knockout stage tie at the continental tournament and
coach Adel Abdulrahman and his team had previously
spoken of the challenge they faced against the three-
time champions from East Asia.
As such, the West Asian nation set their stall out early,
looking to sit back and play on the counter, but with
six minutes gone Japan took the lead after Koichi Saito
finished smartly from Shota Hoshi’s pass across from
the left.
The Samurai Blue, who controlled proceedings for
large spells in the first half as Bahrain defended deep
and invited pressure, had further chances through Yuki
Murota, but goalkeeper Sayed Fadhel was equal to his
efforts.
On the occasions Bahrain attacked, usually taking the
direct route, captain Mohamed Al Sandi worked hard
to create opportunities for his side and Jassam Saleh
tested Higor Pires on several occasions.
After the restart, though, Japan came out in force looking
to extend their slim advantage and with seven minutes
of the second half played they found their second.
Kazuya Shimizu received a pass from Tomoki Yoshikawa
with his back to goal, spun Ahmed Abdulnabi, and beat
Fadhel with a low shot at his near post.
In an attempt to reduce the deficit, Bahrain resorted
to the power play but were unable to carve out much
in the way of clear-cut chances, despite the outfield
advantage.After their shock failure to reach the
competition’s final four two years ago in Uzbekistan,
Japan were able to play out the remainder of the tie
in some comfort and sealed their 14th semi-final
appearance, facing Iraq, who had earlier defeated
Lebanon on penalties.
QF 4: UZBEKISTAN 3-1 VIETNAM
Uzbekistan sealed a spot in the semi-finals after edging
Vietnam 3-1.
Mashrab Adilov gave Uzbekistan the lead in the first
half, while Choriev doubled their lead after the break
but Vietnam responded quickly with Phung Trong
Luan’s strike, only for Ilhomjon Hamroev to score in the
final minute.
One of Vietnam’s key players, Pham Duc Hoa, missed
out on the action after accumulating two yellow cards
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
in the group stage, but the Southeast Asians were not
discouraged and played with aggression from the get-
go.
However, the 2016 runners-ups were unfazed, and
Adilov even came close to opening the scoring for
Uzbekistan in the fourth minute with his header after
latching onto Davron Choriev’s deflected shot but it
bounced off the upright.
The duo were at it again in the ninth minute, as Choriev
launched a long range cross to the attacking third that
caught Vietnam off guard, connecting with Adilov who
easily beat ‘keeper Ngo Dinh Thuan to give Uzbekistan
the lead.
Vietnam were more in control in the second half, pushing
Uzbekistan into a defensive position, but despite their
numerous shots on target, custodian Rustam Umarov
was unbeatable.
In the 29th minute, Choriev doubled Uzbekistan’s lead
when Dinh Thuan failed to clear his area and the No
10 neatly chipped the ball into the net, but Vietnam
bounced back almost immediately with Trong Luan’s
superb strike to make it 2-1.
With five minutes left, power play was next on the
cards for Vietnam but after three minutes of prodding,
it backfired as Hamroev neatly intercepted a pass and
fired into an empty goalmouth to seal the win.

MATCH REPORTS
SEMI-FINALS
SF 1: JAPAN 3-0 IRAQ
Japan displayed their brilliance as they advanced
to the final after defeating Iraq 3-0 at the Xinzhuang
Gymnasium.
Three first half goals from Kaoru Morioka, Ryosuke
Nishitani and Yuki Murota proved to be enough to seal
a ninth AFC Futsal Championship final appearance for
Japan.
The three-time champions kicked off the game in a
spectacular fashion, with Morioka finding the back of
the net with a right footed volley, courtesy of Manabu
Takita’s corner, in the first 40 seconds.
Japan doubled their lead in the sixth minute when they
won another corner and Nishitani made no mistake
from close range, sliding the ball home from the set-
play.
Iraq’s best opportunities were from counter-attacks,
and in the 11th minute, the West Asians closest attempt
came when Waleed Khalid neatly intercepted ‘keeper
Higor Pires’ pass but his shot went off the mark.
After accruing five fouls by the 12th minute, Haitham
Abbas’s charges were forced to play with a little more
caution, and 20 seconds from the half-time whistle,
Pires took advantage of that and threw the ball upfront
to Katsutoshi Rafael Henmi, who passed to Murota for
an easy tap in.
Iraq returned in the second half more in control but
couldn’t find an opening.
They came close numerous times but Pires was rock
solid as he saved every shot to secure Japan’s place
in the final.
SF 2: IR IRAN 7-1 UZBEKISTAN
Islamic Republic of Iran cruised into the final after
beating Uzbekistan 7-1.
Iran piled on the pressure from the beginning, keeping
Uzbekistan in their half, and it paid off early with Mahdi
Javid finding the back of the net with his strike to the
bottom left corner in the third minute.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
A minute later, Uzbekistan crossed to the attacking third
without their full force and were punished when Ahmad
Esmaeilpour regained possession and surged down
the flank before passing it off to skipper Ali Asghar
Hassanzadeh for a fine finish to double their lead.
The 11-time champions showed their prowess once
again with their quick ability to move down the pitch,
and in the 11th minute, Hassanzadeh turned provider
as his blind pass into the box found Hossein Tayebi for
a close-range strike.
Hassanzadeh and Javid formed Iran’s dynamic duo, as
the captain earned two more assists to his name in the
16th minute with Javid completing his hat-trick with
back-to-back goals in similar fashion.
In the second half, Uzbekistan returned with aggression
and were more synergised in their movements and
passes, which limited Iran’s opportunities on target.
Mohammad Nazemasharieh’s side showed that they
were formidable in set-pieces as well, and Hassanzadeh
earned his second with a simple tap in to make it 6-0 in
the 31st minute, before Tayebi also scored his second
of the match four minutes later.
Anaskhon Rakhmatov scored a consolation goal in
the last 20 seconds of the game, courtesy of Farkod
Adbdumavlyanov’s pass, but it was too little too late as
Iran sealed a 13th final appearance.
 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MATCH REPORTS
3rd/4th PLACE MATCH
IRAQ 4-4 UZBEKISTAN A.E.T. 1-2 PENALTY SHOOT-OUT
Uzbekistan secured third place in the AFC Futsal
Championship 2018, defeating Iraq 2-1 in a penalty shoot-
out after the exciting play-off ended 4-4 at the Xinzhuang
Gymnasium.
In the opening minutes, both sides played cautiously
and only looked to apply pressure when necessary,
and in one such instance in the third minute, Dilshod
Rakhmatov intercepted Zaid Ali’s pass, before Davron
Choriev beat goalkeeper Yahya Abdulnoor for
Uzbekistan to take an early lead.
However in the 15th minute, Ali rectified his earlier
mistake by dispossessing Rakhmatov in front of the box,
and fired off a firm shot to the bottom right to equalise
for Iraq.
Haitham Abbas’ charges returned in the second half more
passionate and 20 seconds in, Waleed Khalid found the
back of the net with a superb volley from a corner set-play,
before Salim Faisal doubled their advantage two minutes
later when his shot bounced in between the framework
and into the goal.
Uzbekistan, who finished third in 2005, 2007 and 2014 and
were runners-up two years ago, were hardly demoralised
despite the two-goal deficit, and in the 26th minute
skipper Artur Yunusov neatly converted from a corner.
Moments later, Konstantin Sviridov could have almost
ended the proceedings, when Uzbekistan were awarded
a spot-kick from the second penalty mark after Iraq
accrued their sixth foul, but his shot flew high, sending the
game into a penalty shoot-out.
Bakhodir Akhmedov’s decision to bring in Akmaljon
Khazratulov made the difference as the No 12 goalkeeper
became Uzbekistan’s hero as he fended off shots from
Dakheel and Zainal Abdeen to ensure his team won the
shoot-out 2-1.

Riding on that momentum, the Central Asians continued

to press on, and just two minutes later, Ilhomjon Hamroev
levelled the scores with a simple tap in from close range,
courtesy of Choriev’s pass.

The Iraqis never-say-die attitude paid off in the 35th

minute when they were awarded a free-kick 10 metres
from the post and Hassan Dakheel let loose a sizzling
strike to regain the lead.

Iraq then began to pile on the pressure and had more With two minutes left on the clock, a goal down and pride
control over the ball, but with Uzbek custodian Rustam on the line, Uzbekistan introduced their flying goalkeeper,
Umarov guiding his backline, the West Asians had few and were rewarded with Yunusov earning his second a
opportunities on target. minute from time.

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MATCH REPORTS
THE FINAL
IR IRAN 4-0 JAPAN
Islamic Republic of Iran were crowned the AFC Futsal
Championship winners for the 12th time after beating
Japan 4-0.

Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh gave Iran the lead in the first

half, and further goals from Farhad Tavakoli, Hossein
Tayebi and Hassanzadeh again secured them a second
consecutive title.

The battle between the Continent’s two futsal giants

began as expected, with both sides playing a high
pressure game with intense marking from the first blow
of the whistle, and Mahdi Javid came dangerously close
for Iran in the opening minutes when his effort struck the
goal frame.

Japan head coach Bruno Garcia kept his players fully
charged with flying substitutions which forced Iran to
constantly adapt to the changing formations.
Both sides were evenly matched and had their fair share
of possession, but Japan had the upper hand in shots on
target, and after 17 minutes of play, Ryosuke Nishitani
came closest for the East Asians with his effort from a
difficult angle rocking the bar.
Just 20 seconds into the second half, Iran threatened Despite numerous attempts, it backfired with Tayebi
with Javid’s cross into the box but Ahmad Esmaeilpour shooting into an unguarded goalmouth in the final
just failed to connect but two minutes later, Tavakoli minute to claim a convincing victory.
made no mistake from close range to double their lead.
Esmaeilpour displayed spectacular individual skill when
he moved on the counter in the 29th minute, dribbling
through the Japanese defence before passing it to
Hassanzadeh, who finished superbly.

But a minute from the half-time whistle, Tavakoli intercepted
Japan goalkeeper Higor Pires’ long range pass, and surged
down the left flank before sending a neat pass to skipper
Hassanzadeh for a fine shot to the bottom right to break
the deadlock at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
Japan were impressive in moving the ball between
tight spaces, but the Iranian defence seemed almost
impenetrable, and with five minutes left, they opted for
the power play with Kaoru Morioka coming in as their
fifth attacking force.

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

RESULTS & STATISTICS

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

RESULTS & STATISTICS

GROUP A GROUP B
TEAM P W D L F A GD PTS TEAM P W D L F A GD PTS

VIETNAM 3 2 0 1 6 4 2 6 JAPAN 3 3 0 0 13 6 7 9

BAHRAIN 3 1 1 1 6 5 1 4 UZBEKISTAN 3 2 0 1 19 8 11 6

CHINESE TAIPEI 3 1 1 1 8 9 -1 4 TAJIKISTAN 3 1 0 2 11 8 3 3

MALAYSIA 3 1 0 2 7 9 -2 3 KOREA REPUBLIC 3 0 0 3 4 25 -21 0

MATCH SCORE MATCH SCORE

VIETNAM vs MALAYSIA 1-2 JAPAN vs TAJIKISTAN 4-2
CHINESE TAIPEI vs BAHRAIN 2-2 UZBEKISTAN vs KOREA REPUBLIC 13-2
BAHRAIN vs VIETNAM 1-2 KOREA REPUBLIC vs JAPAN 2-5
MALAYSIA vs CHINESE TAIPEI 4-5 TAJIKISTAN vs UZBEKISTAN 2-4
MALAYSIA vs BAHRAIN 1-3 UZBEKISTAN vs JAPAN 2-4
CHINESE TAIPEI vs VIETNAM 1-3 TAJIKISTAN vs KOREA REPUBLIC 7-0

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

RESULTS & STATISTICS

GROUP C GROUP D
TEAM P W D L F A GD PTS TEAM P W D L F A GD PTS

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 3 3 0 0 30 4 26 9 LEBANON 3 2 1 0 9 5 4 7

IRAQ 3 2 0 1 10 9 1 6 THAILAND 3 2 0 1 15 7 8 6

CHINA P.R. 3 1 0 2 8 18 -10 3 KYRGYZ REPUBLIC 3 1 1 1 6 11 -5 4

MYANMAR 3 0 0 3 5 22 -17 0 JORDAN 3 0 0 3 3 10 -7 0

MATCH SCORE MATCH SCORE

IRAQ vs CHINA P.R. 4-2 KYRGYZ REPUBLIC vs LEBANON 2-2
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs MYANMAR 14-0 THAILAND vs JORDAN 5-1
MYANMAR vs IRAQ 2-3 JORDAN vs KYRGYZ REPUBLIC 1-3
CHINA P.R. vs ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 1-11 LEBANON vs THAILAND 5-2
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs IRAQ 5-3 THAILAND vs KYRGYZ REPUBLIC 8-1
CHINA P.R. vs MYANMAR 5-3 LEBANON vs JORDAN 2-1

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

RESULTS & STATISTICS

QUARTER-FINALS
Match Score
2-2
LEBANON vs IRAQ
(8-9 penalty shoot-out)  

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs THAILAND 9-1 

JAPAN vs BAHRAIN 2-0  

VIETNAM vs UZBEKISTAN 1-3 

SEMI-FINALS
Match Score

IRAQ vs JAPAN 0-3 

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs UZBEKISTAN 7-1

THIRD/FOURTH PLACE
Match Score
4-4
IRAQ vs UZBEKISTAN
(1-2 penalty shoot-out)  

FINAL
Match Score

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs JAPAN 4-0 

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

RESULTS & STATISTICS

TEAM RANKING FAIRPLAY REPORT

Team Ranking Team Ranking

Final ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 1 IRAQ 55.21

Final JAPAN 2 UZBEKISTAN 54.96

3rd/4th Placing UZBEKISTAN 3 JAPAN 54.75

3rd/4th Placing IRAQ 4 ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 54.63

Quarter Finals LEBANON 5 VIETNAM 37.00

Quarter Finals VIETNAM 6 THAILAND 36.75

Quarter Finals BAHRAIN 7 LEBANON 36.66

Quarter Finals THAILAND 8 BAHRAIN 33.04

Group A CHINESE TAIPEI 9 CHINESE TAIPEI 28.00

Group D KYRGYZ REPUBLIC 10 TAJIKISTAN 27.89

Group B TAJIKISTAN 11 KOREA REPUBLIC 26.76

Group C CHINA P.R. 12 MALAYSIA 26.75

Group A MALAYSIA 13 MYANMAR 26.62

Group D JORDAN 14 KYRGYZ REPUBLIC 26.50

Group C MYANMAR 15 JORDAN 25.11

Group B KOREA REPUBLIC 16 CHINA P.R. 23.75

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Head Coach
MOHAMMAD NAZEM
ALSHARIE
Nationality
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 10 HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI - Scored two goals and set up a third. Good technique and mobility
No. 13 FARHAD TAVAKOLI ROOZBAHANI - Outstanding in 1 v 1 attack. Raised intensity of team’s performance
No. 7 ALI ASGHAR NAVLIGHE (C) - Instigated many attacks and scored two goals
No. 14 MAHDI JAVID - Good goalscoring ability
No. 3 AHMAD ESMAEILPOUR - Excellent vision in distribution and strong in defence
No. 4 MOSLEM OLADGHOBAD - Strong dribbler and in 1v1

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 SEPEHR MOHAMMADI (GK) 20 20 20 0 20 0 80 0 0 0 0 0 3 9 0 2 5 7 0 0 0

2 ALIREZA SAMIMI (GK) 20 20 20 40 20 40 160 0 0 0 2 0 8 9 0 23 15 9 0 0 0

3 AHMAD ESMAEILPOUR 13 16 12 18 19 20 98 3 15 3 12 4 15 16 7 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 MOSLEM OLADGHOBAD 11 7 14 6 11 6 55 2 2 0 5 2 10 9 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 ALIREZA RAFIEI POUR 7 11 6 4 11 0 39 0 4 0 4 0 5 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 MOHAMMADREZA SANGSEFIDI 8 11 11 18 12 17 77 0 4 0 2 3 15 11 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 ALI ASGHAR NAVLIGHE (C) 19 21 24 20 22 29 135 12 16 0 10 5 22 21 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 ABOLGHASEM OROUJI 13 11 8 4 7 6 49 0 6 0 2 0 11 5 4 0 0 0 1 0 0

9 SAEID AHMAD ABBASI 7 4 7 5 8 3 34 1 13 0 5 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

10 HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI 16 17 20 24 17 19 113 14 30 3 8 6 4 7 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

11 MEHRAN ALIGHADR 14 9 10 6 7 0 46 1 3 0 4 1 12 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

12 MOHAMMAD SHAJARI 14 14 10 12 19 11 80 3 11 1 5 3 8 8 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

13 FARHAD TAVAKOLI ROOZBAHANI 20 15 24 27 9 28 123 4 15 2 4 8 16 11 8 0 0 0 1 0 0

14 MAHDI JAVID 18 24 14 16 18 21 111 10 24 4 18 9 21 13 5 0 0 0 1 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Plenty of rotations to create space
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Fit enough to press for the whole game
• Able to defend as a team
• Plenty of shooting from outside penalty area
• Very strong 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 marking
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Pretty strong in 1 v 1 duel
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack
• Physically strong, won many 1 v 1 duels especially in
defence

STYLE OF PLAY
• Play 1-1-2-1 & 1-4-0 looking to play to the pivot &
support quick from behind
• Excellent coordinated movement with excellent
individual understanding
• Press Man on Man & 1-1-2-1
• Excellent 1 v 1 defensive abilities
• Show good individual strength in both attack &
defense
• Good understanding of when to change pace &
direction

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

JAPAN

Head Coach
BRUNO GARCIA
Nationality
SPAIN

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 9 MORIOKA KAORU - Strong desire to win all balls, strong mentality and goalscoring ability
No. 6 YOSHIKAWA TOMOKI - Good movement, vision and passing skill
No. 2 HIGOR PIRES - Good saves and distribution
No. 7 HENMI KATSUTOSHI RAFAEL - A big influence in attack, marshaled defence well
No. 8 TAKITA MANABU - Strong in defence, hardworking

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 SEKIGUCHI YUSKI (GK) 0 20 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0

2 HIGOR PIRES (GK) 40 20 40 40 40 36 216 0 2 1 1 0 21 20 0 33 16 25 0 0 0

3 MUROTA YUKI 16 15 11 12 16 12 82 1 14 0 3 0 19 4 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

4 SAITO KOICHI 3 9 7 8 5 1 33 1 10 1 4 1 9 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 AKIRA MINAMOTO (C) 14 9 6 11 19 17 76 0 10 1 7 1 20 10 7 0 0 0 1 0 0

6 YOSHIKAWA TOMOKI 19 18 21 23 22 24 127 0 11 0 4 5 33 18 6 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 HENMI KATSUTOSHI RAFAEL 18 18 19 21 19 20 115 0 23 1 9 1 23 11 10 0 0 0 2 0 0

8 TAKITA MANABU 12 9 18 16 23 13 91 1 4 1 8 1 15 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 MORIOKA KAORU 13 6 13 16 10 14 72 7 20 0 4 1 25 12 4 0 0 0 1 0 0

10 NIBUYA KAZUHIRO 11 14 8 8 0 13 54 1 10 1 6 0 15 7 6 0 0 0 0 0 0

11 HOSHI SHOTA 18 22 14 13 10 17 94 3 11 1 4 1 19 11 6 0 0 0 1 0 0

12 SHIMIZU KAZUYA 20 17 15 11 8 12 83 2 25 1 16 1 15 10 7 0 0 0 0 0 0

13 TOMOAKI WATANABE 3 9 9 0 9 5 35 0 6 0 1 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 NISHITANI RYOSUKE 13 14 19 21 19 16 102 2 9 0 9 4 12 7 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Plenty of rotations to create space
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Fit enough to press for the whole game
• Able to defend as a team
• Very strong 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 marking
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Pretty strong in 1 v 1 duel
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack
• Physically strong, won many 1 v 1 duels especially in
defence

STYLE OF PLAY
• Apply 1-3-1 or 1-4-0 offensive in own half
• Always look to open up space down the flanks for
pass to runner into the space
• Good speed & movement with the ball
• Play short pass and penetrate in middle court
• Pressed constantly in 2 formations - Man on Man or
1-2-2
• Strong in 1 v 1 contests
• Play as a team tactically to attack and defend
• Flexible players grouping and use time out
• Attempts to change tactics according to the
opponent’s attacking play

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

UZBEKISTAN

Head Coach
BAKHODIR AKHMEDOV
Nationality
UZBEKISTAN

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 11 ARTUR YUNUSOV (C) - Controlled the team well and possessed good technique
No. 8 ABDUMAVLYANOV FARKHOD - Control & Shielding the ball as Pivot
No. 10 DAVRON CHORIEV - Good technique and flexible play
No. 3 MASHRAB ADILOV - Good movement and good intention
No. 7 DILSHOD RAKHMATOV - Good and quick judgement and passing skill

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 RUSTAM UMAROV (GK) 20 40 37 40 40 39 216 0 0 0 0 0 7 3 0 25 28 25 0 0 0

2 ANASKHON RAKHMATOV 8 0 0 0 4 5 17 2 1 0 1 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 MASHRAB ADILOV 16 16 16 20 20 16 104 4 6 1 3 2 23 14 7 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 IKHTIYOR ROPIEV 8 0 0 9 4 5 26 1 1 0 1 1 0 4 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

5 DILMUROD SHAVKATOV 8 0 0 6 4 5 23 1 2 0 1 1 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 ILHOMJON HAMROEV 16 18 19 23 22 17 115 3 4 1 1 1 16 24 6 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 DILSHOD RAKHMATOV 16 22 21 10 14 18 101 2 16 2 11 1 18 19 9 0 0 0 1 0 0

8 FARKHOD ABDUMAVLYANOV 16 23 21 15 15 17 107 2 13 1 8 4 14 12 5 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 DAVRONJON ABDURAKHMONOV 16 15 18 13 19 17 98 0 9 1 10 4 18 12 5 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 DAVRON CHORIEV 16 15 22 24 24 19 120 7 15 1 7 4 40 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0

11 ARTUR YUNUSOV (C) 16 24 22 18 13 18 111 4 11 0 14 0 28 12 5 0 0 0 1 0 0

12 AKMALJON KHAZRATKULOV (GK) 20 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 6 3 2 0 0 0

13 KHUSNIDDIN NISHONOV 8 0 0 0 4 5 17 1 2 0 3 2 6 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 KONSTANTIN SVIRIDOV 16 25 24 22 17 19 123 0 9 0 11 1 20 20 5 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Sat back in own half to defend
• Plenty of rotations to create space
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Able to defend as a team
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Like to use some long passes
• Pretty strong in 1 v 1 duel
• Very strong 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 marking
• Physically strong, won many 1 v 1 duels especially in
defence

STYLE OF PLAY
• Played 1-4-0 when under extreme pressure and 1-1-
2-1 & 1-2-2 when able to get out of pressure
• Always looked to open up space down the right
flank for a pass to runner over the top or through the
space
• 1-1-2-1 and 1-2-2 depending on the position of the
ball
• Content to hold position in own half and looked to
mark space rather than follow runners
• Good 1 v 1 in defence but always have cover
• Press when opportunity arose

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

IRAQ

Head Coach
HAITHAM ABBAS BAWEI
Nationality
IRAQ

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 3 FIRAS MOHAMMED ABED - Scored 2 goals to keep his team in the contest
No. 9 HASAN ALI JABBAR - Strong at Pivot and gave many instructions on the court - did get under the skin of the
anchors that were marking him
No. 10 HASAN ALI DAKHEEL - Good technique and strong shot
No. 7 SALIM FAISAL ABED - A lot of movement and dedicated play
No. 2 MUSTAFA BACHAY HAMZAH - Good in defence and mentally strong

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 YAHYA ABDULNOOR RAHEEM (GK) 29 40 20 40 29 40 198 0 0 0 1 1 21 14 0 20 18 21 0 0 0

2 MUSTAFA BACHAY HAMZAH 32 32 2 25 32 26 149 0 15 1 9 0 35 17 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

3 FIRAS MOHAMMED ABED 0 4 21 18 5 14 62 2 3 0 1 0 11 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 TAREQ ZEYAD SULAIMAN 3 0 15 14 5 2 39 0 2 0 2 0 7 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 HUSSEIN ABD ALI MOHAMMED 9 10 13 5 2 18 57 0 3 0 2 1 20 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

AL-ZUBAIDI (C)

6 ZAID ALI AL-HAKEEM 0 0 18 6 21 8 53 1 2 0 3 0 14 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 SALIM FAISAL ABED 21 15 18 15 21 12 102 3 20 2 14 2 16 17 7 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 GHAITH RIYADH ARAB 0 0 9 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 HASAN ALI JABBAR 25 25 20 25 12 23 130 3 20 0 9 0 25 14 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 HASAN ALI DAKHEEL 15 13 15 0 14 21 78 2 15 1 13 1 14 11 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

11 RAFID HAMEED EESA 25 34 NE 27 17 6 109 1 18 0 4 1 23 19 8 0 0 0 0 0 0

12 ZAINAL ABDEEN ABDALE 0 0 15 1 12 3 31 0 5 1 3 0 5 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0

13 ZAHER MAHDI HADI (GK) 11 0 20 0 2 0 33 0 0 0 0 0 6 4 0 6 4 1 0 0 0

14 WALEED KHALID FAHEM 30 27 14 24 28 27 150 4 20 0 12 1 37 8 7 0 0 0 1 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Fit enough to press for the whole game
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack
• Physically strong, won many 1 v 1 duels especially in
defence
• Struggled at times to deal with pressure from
opposition
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Very strong 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 marking
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Build-up from the back slow at times
• Like to use some long passes
• Sat back in own half to defend

STYLE OF PLAY
• Applied 1-3-1 or 1-2-2 offensive in own half as they
were constantly under pressure
• Zone defence 1-1-2-1 or 1-2-2 depending on the
position of the ball
• Always aimed for the long ball, whether a pass or
throw in
• Played as a team in both attack and defence
• Good 1 v 1 defensive abilities
• Played on strong individual defence

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

LEBANON

Head Coach
SHAHAB SOFALMANESH
Nationality
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 10 ALI TNEICH - Good movement with and without the ball in attack and good passing ability
No. 5 AHMAD KHEIR EL DINE – Showed good strength in the pivot position
No. 12 KARIM ABOU ZEID – Very strong in defence with 4 IP’s & 4 DP’s

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 HUSSEIN HAMADANI (GK) 40 40 5 40 125 0 1 0 0 0 10 7 0 12 11 7 1 0 0

2 GHADI ABI AKL (GK) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 MOHAMMAD ABOU ZEID 1 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 MOUSTAFA SERHAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 AHMAD KHEIR EL DINE 29 30 27 29 115 3 26 2 23 0 10 10 7 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 ALI EL HOMSI 18 16 24 20 78 2 7 0 0 1 13 15 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 HASSAN ZEITOUN 15 12 17 4 48 1 3 0 6 1 4 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 KASSEM KOUSSAN (C) 15 15 16 13 59 1 1 0 5 0 7 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 MOUHAMMAD HAMMOUD 7 0 3 0 10 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 ALI TNEICH 29 33 28 32 122 3 31 2 27 1 18 17 6 0 0 0 1 0 0

11 MOHAMAD KOBEISSY 25 26 24 31 106 1 16 0 7 3 10 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

12 KARIM ABOU ZEID 21 28 21 29 99 0 13 0 13 3 7 16 11 0 0 0 0 0 0

13 KARIM JOUEIDI (GK) 0 0 35 0 35 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 3 2 4 1 0 0

14 FADI GREIJ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Able to defend as a team
• Very strong 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 marking
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Like to use some long passes
• Pretty strong in 1 v 1 duel
• Sat back in own half to defend
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack
• Physically strong, won many 1 v 1 duels especially in
defence

STYLE OF PLAY
• Applied 1-3-1 or 1-4-0 offensive in own half and
looked for space to attack
• Applied 1-2-1 in opponent’s half at times
• Played as a team in both attack and defence
• Liked to dribble 1 v 1
• Pressed man on man when had the option
• 1-1-2-1 and 1-2-2 in zonal defence
• Good individual 1 v 1 defensive skills
• Once up to speed, their defence was capable of
dominating their opposition

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

VIETNAM

Head Coach
MIGUEL RODRIGO
Nationality
SPAIN

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 10 VU DUC TUNG - excellent at shielding the ball, good strength & willing to shoot at all times
No. 7 PHUNG TRONG LUAN - Instrumental in lifting his teammates every time he entered the court. Had good 1 v 1
skills in attack & defence & never gave up. Rewarded with a goal
No. 8 VU QUOC HUNG - Worked hard in both attack & defence

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 NGO DINH THUAN (C) (GK) 40 40 40 38 158 0 1 0 1 0 6 0 1 13 4 6 0 0 0

2 NGUYEN VAN HUY (GK) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 LE QUOC NAM 18 13 4 13 48 0 5 0 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 CO TRI KIET 16 14 5 12 47 0 0 0 2 1 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 NGO NGOC SON 15 15 16 24 70 0 2 0 5 0 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 PHAM DUC HOA 24 16 20 NE 60 1 5 0 6 0 5 4 2 0 0 0 2 0 0

7 PHUNG TRONG LUAN 16 11 17 23 67 2 3 1 4 1 5 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 VU QUOC HUNG 19 16 22 21 78 0 3 0 11 0 8 5 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

9 TRAN THAI HUY 11 12 13 9 45 0 3 0 7 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 VU DUC TUNG 24 13 18 13 68 2 5 0 4 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

11 CHU VAN TIEN 0 13 11 9 33 0 1 0 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

12 KHONG DINH HUNG 0 11 5 9 25 0 2 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

13 DINH VAN TOAN 3 12 14 19 48 0 3 0 2 0 6 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 NGUYEN DAC HUY 14 14 15 10 53 2 2 0 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Good physical condition
• Able to defend as a team
• Plenty of shooting from outside penalty area
• Build-up from the back slow at times
• Sat back in own half to defend
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack

STYLE OF PLAY
• 1-3-1 and 1-1-2-1
• Played 1-3-1 with either #10 or #14 as pivot
• First 4 players pressed from the start (1-1-1-2) and
next 4 players employed 3/4 press with alternation
to 1/2 court zonal (1-2-2)
• Played as a team in both attack and defence

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

BAHRAIN

Head Coach
ADEL ABDULRAHMAN
MOHAMED MARZOOQ
Nationality
BAHRAIN

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 8 MOHAMED RADHI ALSANDI (C) - Captain had a stellar game marshaling his defence and scoring from long
range
No. 10 JASSAM SALEH ANAN - Always read the game well in defence, intercepted several passes and created many
chances with good incisive passes
No. 4 FALAH ABBAS YUSUF - Was the rock in defence, intercepting several passes
No. 11 AHMED ABDULNABI HAMAD - scored 2 goals in the first half, both great finishes

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 SAYED FADHEL MAHFOODH (GK) 0 0 12 38 50 0 0 0 0 0 8 2 0 9 3 6 0 0 0

2 YUSUF ABDULLA SALEH (GK) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 ALI AHMED ALMALKI 4 1 0 5 10 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 FALAH ABBAS YUSUF 34 35 38 35 142 0 1 0 3 1 19 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 SAYED HASHEM SHARAF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 ALI SALEH ALSALEH 24 12 0 12 48 1 2 0 2 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 ABDULLA MOHAMED ALMALKI 0 3 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 MOHAMED RADHI ALSANDI (C) 27 31 37 37 132 2 3 0 5 2 19 13 5 0 0 0 1 0 0

9 MOHAMED ABDULLA ALI 16 17 22 0 55 1 10 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

10 JASSAM SALEH ANAN 34 33 33 36 136 0 14 0 7 0 35 22 6 0 0 2 1 0 0

11 AHMED ABDULNABI HAMAD 21 23 14 20 78 2 3 1 8 0 5 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

12 SALMAN MAULA MUHAMMAD 0 3 12 7 22 0 6 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

13 AHMED ABDULJALIL DARWISH 0 3 4 10 17 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 SAYED MOHAMED ABBAS (GK) 40 39 28 0 107 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Plenty of shooting from outside penalty area
• Build-up from the back slow at times
• Sat back in own half to defend
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack

STYLE OF PLAY
• Applied 1-3-1 or 1-1-2-1 offensive in own half and
looked to play to the pivot with quick support from
behind
• When pressured, always looked for the long ball but
with mixed results
• Lacked speed in rotation as players took too many
touches
• Played zonal defence unless an opportunity arose to
press
• Did press when behind or when opposition
implemented the power play

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

THAILAND

Head Coach
JOSE MARIA PAZOS MENDEZ
Nationality
THAILAND

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 7 KRITSADA WONGKAEO (C) – Played with plenty of energy and led his team well
No. 14 APIWAT CHAEMCHAROEN – Scored 2 goals in the first half and was a constant threat
No. 10 NATTAVUT MADYALAN – Had great impact when he was on the court
No. 9 SUPHAWUT THUEANKLANG – Showed great strength on the ball and showed smart distribution

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 KANISON PHOOPUN (GK) 40 29 40 31 140 1 3 18 12 15 1

2 PEERAPOL SATSUE 2 0 4 0 6 1 1 1 1

3 SUTTIROJ NATTHAPON 19 13 18 18 68 2 1 5 5 1

4 NAWIN RATTANAWONGSWA 4 0 6 3 13 1 2 2 2

5 RONNACHAI JUNGWONGSUK 3 0 4 0 7 1 2 2 1

6 JIRAWAT SORNWICHIAN 18 18 18 22 76 1+1 6 5 11 4 3

PK

7 KRITSADA WONGKAEO (C) 21 19 20 21 81 1 2 3 2 11 6 3

8 JETSADA CHUDECH 10 19 8 10 47 3 7 7 2 7 2 4

9 SUPHAWUT THUEANKLANG 20 24 18 22 84 4 12 3 13 2 9 5 8

10 NATTAVUT MADYALAN 17 20 14 21 72 1 7 2 3 1 8 2 3 1

11 MUHAMMAD OSAMANMUSA 10 12 15 16 53 8 7 4 6 3

12 KATAWUT HANKAMPA (GK) 0 0 0 0 0

13 CHAIVAT JAMGRAJANG 17 6 21 17 55 11 6 9 6 1

14 APIWAT CHAEMCHAROEN 19 23 14 19 75 4 4 2 9 10 2 1

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Plenty of rotations to create space
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Able to defend as a team
• Very strong 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 marking
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Pretty strong in 1 v 1 duel
• Sat back in own half to defend
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack

STYLE OF PLAY
• Always looking to hit their pivot upfront and run off
whenever possible
• Applied 1-3-1 attack when they had time on the ball
or used the 1-4-0 attack in their own half when under
pressure
• Played short passes and penetrated through the
middle court
• Played as a team when attacking and defending
• Usually press from the start and zone up once
breached

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

CHINESE TAIPEI

Head Coach
JOSE ADIL AMARANTE
Nationality
PORTUGAL

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 7 CHANG CHIEN-YING (C) - Worked tirelessly in defence and led by example
No. 13 LIN CHIEN-HSUN – Very strong and held up ball well at pivot
No. 10 CHI SHENG-FA – Showed good ability in intercepting passes and was smart in defence

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 CHIANG HSIN WEI (GK) 40 40 37 117 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 0 25 3 11 0 0 0

2 WANG KUN-WEI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 CHOU I TE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 HUNG KAI-CHUN 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 2 7 8 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 HUANG PO CHUN 22 17 23 62 1 12 2 7 0 0 18 2 0 0 0 1 0 0

6 HUNG WEI-TENG 3 11 16 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 CHANG CHIEN-YING (C) 26 31 24 81 1 4 1 4 0 4 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 HUANG TAI-HSIANG 23 23 21 67 0 4 0 5 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

9 LIN CHIH-HUNG 26 22 22 70 1 5 0 2 2 7 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 CHI SHENG-FA 31 21 23 75 3 10 0 10 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

11 LAI MING-HUI 14 16 14 44 2 4 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

12 CHEN WEI-CHUN 0 22 0 22 0 4 2 1 2 2 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

13 LIN CHIEN-HSUN 15 19 20 54 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 CHEN CHING-HSUAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Good physical condition
• Like to use some long passes
• Sat back in own half to defend
• Able to defend as a team

STYLE OF PLAY
• Played 1-1-2-1, 1-3-1 or 1-2-2 and always looked
to play to the pivot &and support was quick from
behind
• When zoning alternatively between 1-2-2, 1-1-3 or
1-1-2-1 based on position of the ball
• Pressed man on man when chance arose
• Played long passes with mixed results
• Showed good individual strength
• Had good 1 v 1 defensive traits

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

Head Coach
AMIRZHAN MUKANOV
Nationality
KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 10 BAIGAZY UULU ULANBEK - Strong on the ball and a good defender. Creative on the ball, showed good
technique and dummy shots
No. 9 MAKSAT ALIMOV - Showed good technique
No. 3 IULDASHBAI SALIMBAEV - Strong shooting was his trait

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 KIRILL ERMOLOV (GK) 40 40 39 119 1 1 7 3 18 8 9

2 AKTILEK ESENALIEV (GK) 0 0 1 1 1

3 IULDASHBAI SALIMBAEV 23 21 25 69 1 10 11 5 8

4 ARSTANBEK TURSUNOV 0 1 3 4 2

5 KELKEL ANARBEKOV 0 0 4 4 1

6 ABDRASUL UULU MANAS 17 19 13 49 1 6 5 2 7 1

7 DASTAN RYSBEKOV 0 0 4 4 1 1 2

8 ADILET IMANBEKOV 4 16 14 34 2 2 6 3 1

9 MAKSAT ALIMOV 27 22 24 73 2 10 2 7 11 6 5

10 BAIGAZY UULU ULANBEK 25 26 21 72 2 5 12 16 11 1 1

11 ADILET KULTAEV 22 20 18 60 4 5 2 4 4 1

12 AKTAI TASHTANOV 10 5 7 22 1 1 3 2 1 1

13 MIRLAN ZHOLDUBAEV 17 20 15 52 10 1 7 7 8 3

14 EMIL KANETOV (C) 16 19 12 47 4 1 4 8 6 1 1

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Plenty of rotations to create space
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Able to defend as a team
• Very strong 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 marking
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Pretty strong in 1 v 1 duel
• Physically strong, won many 1 v 1 duels especially in
defence

STYLE OF PLAY
• Liked to pull opposition defence to one side of the
court to open up the opposite flank
• Rotations were too slow
• Relied a lot on pressing to create turnovers and goal
scoring opportunities
• Played as team to attack and defend
• Looked for individual dribbling down the flank once
chances had been created
• Preferred to zone in defence but pressed when
opportunity arose, especially if facing weaker
opposition

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

TAJIKISTAN

Head Coach
HUSEYN SHODYEV
Nationality
TAJIKISTAN

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 14 DILSHOD SALOMOV (C) - Strong with good skills, speed and aggressive play, good mentality
No. 9 FAYZALI SARDOROV - Strong with good skills, speed and aggressive play, good mentality
No. 7 RUSTAM HAMIDOV - Good speed and scored vital goals

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 FIRUZ BEKMURODOV (GK) 40 40 20 100 0 3 0 2 0 19 0 0 13 6 13 0 0 0

2 MURODULLO ALIKULOV (GK) 0 0 20 20 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 9 5 4 0 0 0

3 VOSITZODA IQBOLI 0 0 3 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 BAHODUR KHOJAEV 0 0 3 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

5 SOBIRDZHON GULYAKOV 20 19 17 56 0 4 1 6 0 6 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 RAHMONALI SHARIPOV 33 30 30 93 1 4 0 1 1 11 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 RUSTAM HAMIDOV 4 2 11 17 1 2 0 0 0 0 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 SHAVQAT HALIMOV 16 18 15 49 1 6 0 6 0 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 FAYZALI SARDOROV 28 25 22 75 1 26 0 5 1 6 9 6 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 NEKRUZ ALIMAKHMADOV 15 22 11 48 1 4 0 0 0 4 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

11 FIRUZ SANGOV 0 4 4 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

12 UMED KUZIEV 9 7 10 26 2 5 0 2 1 6 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

13 MUHAMADJON SHARIPOV 3 2 7 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 DILSHOD SALOMOV (C) 32 31 27 90 2 9 3 4 0 16 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

BACK TO CONTENTS
 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Fit enough to press for the whole game
• Able to defend as a team
• Plenty of shooting from outside penalty area
• Very strong 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 marking
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Like to use some long passes
• Pretty strong in 1 v 1 duel
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack
• Average individual skill not at highest level
• Physically strong, won many 1 v 1 duels especially in
defence

STYLE OF PLAY
• Played solo plays throughout the game or relied on
long passes
• Some players had quick transition with good
technique and physical presence
• Individual ability was good, but there was no change
in tactics and flexibility, and were unable to play as a
team in defence
• Very fast attacks and transition due to good stamina
and physique, Mentally strong and had strong shots
• Attempted many shots, regardless of distance.

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

CHINA PR

Head Coach
SERGIO GARGELLI
Nationality
ITALY

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 6 XU YANG - Good physique, aspiration and desire
No. 7 ZHAO LIANG - Controlled the team well and good in defence
No. 8 LI JIANJIA - Very focused defensively and quick to react to situations

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 ZHU BEI (GK) 37 19 37 93 0 0 0 0 0 18 3 0 10 21 10 0 0 0

2 ZHANG BIN 8 2 0 10 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 LI SHUNYING 10 16 14 40 0 3 0 0 0 6 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 LI ZHIHENG 2 18 11 31 0 2 0 1 0 4 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 ZHUANG JIANFA 22 21 18 61 0 9 2 2 0 7 4 2 0 0 0 1 0 0

6 XU YANG 6 22 11 39 2 6 0 6 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

7 ZHAO LIANG 24 21 19 64 1 3 0 2 1 12 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

8 LI JIANJIA 26 22 48 0 0 0 4 1 10 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 1

9 GU HAITAO 17 24 21 62 2 6 0 2 1 6 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 0

10 LIN YUCHEN 3 9 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

11 SHEN SIMING 18 12 13 43 1 6 0 2 1 6 3 2 0 0 0 1 0 0

12 ZHOU FAN (GK) 0 20 0 20 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 0 5 3 6 0 0 0

13 PENG BOYAO 13 16 14 43 0 1 0 1 1 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 ZHANG YAMENG 14 20 34 2 7 0 2 3 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Struggled at times to deal with pressure from
opposition
• Plenty of rotations to create space
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Able to defend as a team
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Like to use some long passes
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack
• Like to use some long passes
• Physically strong, won many 1 v 1 duels especially in
defence

STYLE OF PLAY
• Utilised 3-1 or 1-2-1 offensive patterns in own half
and looked for space to attack
• Applied 3-1 occassionally in opponent half with #6
Pivot
• Played as a team to attack and defend
• Understanding level was good in defence in own
half but need more endurance physically
• Seldom relied on individual dribbling

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

MALAYSIA

Head Coach
CHIEW CHUN YONG
Nationality
MALAYSIA

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 14 YAZID KAMARUZUAN - Good movement in attack and showed good vision
No. 7 MOHD KHAIRUL EFFENDY – Was instrumental in turning the game around during the Power Play. Never
stopped working and gave maximum effort
No. 5 MOHAMAD AWALLUDDIN NAWI –He was able to keep possession well and his commitment gave his team
hope
No. 9 MOHD AZWANN ISMAIL – Peppered the opponent’s goalmouth with many shots

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 MOHD FIRDAUS RAZALI (C) (GK) 0 0 11 11 2 2 1 1

2 ABU HANIFFA BIN HASAN NE 23 24 47 9 1 4 6 1

3 MUHAMMAD NURASYRAAF 0 0 0 0

4 MUHAMMAD FARIKH RAHMAN 0 0 0 0

5 MOHAMAD AWALLUDDIN NAWI 19 23 22 64 3 8 1 2 1 3

6 MOHD RIDZWAN BAKRI 24 16 19 59 7 2 4 10 7 2 1

7 MOHD KHAIRUL EFFENDY 22 23 26 71 1 14 7 1 10 6 1 2

8 SAIFUL AULA AHMAD 20 0 9 29 2 1 1 2

9 MOHD AZWANN ISMAIL 20 21 23 64 1 14 1 11 1 13 6 4 2

10 SYED AIZAD DANIEL 21 21 22 64 1 12 1 4 1 6 5 1

11 MUHAMMAD AIDIL SHAHRIL BIN 4 5 1 10 1 1 1

ROSLI

12 AZRUL HADEE TAUFIQ (GK) 39 40 21 100 5 3 2 11 22 5 1

13 SAIFUL NIZAM ALI 17 14 9 40 2 1 3 1 1 2

14 YAZID KAMARUZUAN 14 14 13 41 2 1 3 5 2

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Plenty of rotations to create space
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Build-up from the back slow at times

STYLE OF PLAY
• Utilised 3-1 or 1-2-1 offensive patterns in own half
and looked for space to attack
• Applied 3-1 occassionally in opponent half with #6
Pivot
• Played as a team to attack and defend
• Understanding level was good in defence in own
half but need more endurance physically
• Seldom relied on individual dribbling

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

JORDAN

Head Coach
SALAH (MOH’D YOSRI)
SALEH ABU JAFER
Nationality
JORDAN

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 6 MUTAZ MOH’D MUSA ABU – Strong in defence and had good technique
No. 2 MAJDI WALEED FAIQ – Tireless worker around the court and showed good vision
No. 7 AHMED ABDELALRHMAN MOHAMMAD ARAB (C) – Strong in defence and had a high work rate

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 YUSEF AHMAD YUSEF AY (GK) 0 36 0 36 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 11 5 4 1 0 0

2 MAJDI WALEED FAIQ 34 26 0 60 0 4 0 1 0 6 10 6 0 1 0 0 0 0

3 QAIS MOHAMMAD SHABIB 3 14 21 38 1 4 1 4 0 3 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 0

4 MU'TAZ MOHAMMAD 0 0 8 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ABDULRAHEEM

5 AHMAD AMER SAMARA 18 28 23 69 1 8 0 4 0 9 10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 MUTAZ MOH'D MUSA ABU 27 34 27 88 1 11 2 16 0 8 11 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

7 AHMED ABDELALRHMAN 32 27 15 74 0 2 2 3 0 3 6 2 0 0 0 1 0 0
MOHAMMAD ARAB (C)

8 YOUSEF ABDALLAH MAHMOUD 8 10 11 29 0 9 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 IBRAHIM AZMI FAEK QANDEEL 14 11 1 26 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 SAMER SAMIH (M. WAHEED) 10 NE 35 45 0 3 0 8 0 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 1

NASER ALDEEN

11 AMJED MOHAMMAD E'LAYAN 5 13 18 36 0 4 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ALQOROM

12 ALEDRES HASAN RAYYASH (GK) 0 0 40 40 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 1 3 0 0 0

13 WESAM WALEED ABED ASHOUR 9 1 1 11 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 MAJED MAHMOUD ALHAFI (GK) 40 0 0 40 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 1 3 0 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Good physical condition
• Like to use some long passes
• Sat back in own half to defend
• Struggled at times to deal with pressure from
opposition

STYLE OF PLAY
• Lack of movement meant limited chances
• Looked for long ball most of the time
• Played zonal 1-1-2-1 and Man on Man in defence,
usually sitting half court and dropping to 1/3 of the
court
• Played as team to attack and defend
• Looked to dribble once in opponent’s half

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

MYANMAR

Head Coach
HTAY MYINT
Nationality
MYANMAR

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 1 YAN PAING HEIN - Showed good skills and mentality
No. 5 HEIN MIN SOE - Good in defence as Anker. Strong desire to win all balls and good mentally
No. 9 PYAE PHYO MAUNG (C) - Led team as captain with good mental strength

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 YAN PAING HEIN (GK) 30 36 30 96 0 0 0 0 0 13 3 0 15 10 20 0 0 0

2 ZWE PYAE SON (GK) 10 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0

3 KO KO LWIN (K K LWIN) 11 9 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

4 KAUNG CHIT THU 16 20 20 56 0 5 0 7 0 6 9 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

5 HEIN MIN SOE 16 11 13 40 0 3 1 2 0 9 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 NAING YE KYAW 10 23 23 56 0 4 0 1 0 10 5 3 0 0 0 1 0 0

7 MYO MYINT SOE 15 7 14 36 0 2 0 1 1 2 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 SAI PYONE AUNG 12 0 6 18 0 1 0 2 0 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 PYAE PHYO MAUNG (C) 12 13 0 25 0 6 0 5 3 6 11 4 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 KHIN ZAW LIN 14 14 20 48 1 3 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

11 NYEIN MIN SOE 13 26 24 63 1 3 1 8 0 7 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

12 YE LIN TUN 15 7 18 40 0 0 0 3 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

13 AUNG ZIN OO 14 8 5 27 0 2 0 3 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 PYAE PHYO MAUNG 11 26 27 64 3 5 0 2 1 6 5 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Struggled at times to deal with pressure from
opposition
• Plenty of rotations to create space
• Good physical condition
• Strong team unit with individual flair
• Able to defend as a team
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Like to use some long passes
• Sat back in own half to defend
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack

STYLE OF PLAY
• The balance between attack and defence was good
• The defence was not solid, and the attacks lacked
variation
• Counterattacks by individual or combinations was
intermittent but threatening

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KOREA REPUBLIC

Head Coach
LEE SANG-JIN
Nationality
KOREA REPUBLIC

OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
No. 11 CHUN JIN-WOO –Strong challenging spirit
No. 10 LEE MIN-YONG (C) - Showed strong leadership qualities, good mental strength.

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

APPEARANCES
ATTACKING DEFENDING
OUTFIELD
MINUTES PLAYED SHOTS PASSES PLAYER GOALKEEPER SANCTIONS
NO PLAYER MATCH 1 MATCH 2 MATCH 3 MATCH 4 MATCH 5 MATCH 6 TOTAL SCORE SAVED POST OUT ASSIST MISS IP DP CS NCS DO YC 2YC RC

1 SEO JUNG-WOO (GK) 33 37 37 107 0 1 0 1 0 21 1 0 10 20 20 0 0 0

2 JANG YEONG-CHEOL 10 9 11 30 2 1 0 5 0 4 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 PARK YOUNG-JAE 14 14 13 41 1 4 0 2 0 3 7 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

4 KIM JUN-HO (GK) 6 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 LIM YEONG-SEUNG 15 11 10 36 0 2 0 0 0 9 5 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

6 LEE DOO-YONG 15 16 17 48 0 6 0 3 0 14 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 KIM MIN-KUK 16 20 19 55 0 10 0 2 0 8 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 JUNG SOO-IN 13 18 17 48 0 3 0 5 0 11 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0

9 CHO BYUNG-GIRL 15 17 15 47 0 2 1 2 0 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 LEE MIN-YONG (C) 19 16 16 51 0 9 0 6 1 15 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

11 CHUN JIN-WOO 10 9 11 30 1 2 0 3 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

12 LEE AHN 14 9 9 32 0 2 0 1 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

13 YOU SANG-YUN 10 9 11 30 0 2 0 5 0 9 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

14 PARK HAN-UL 10 15 14 39 0 2 0 2 0 7 7 5 1 0 0 0 0 0

Legend:
IP: Intercepted Pass | DP: Dispossessed Opponent | CS: Completed Save | NCS: Non Completed Save | DO: Deflected Out of the pitch

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TEAM PROFILES

KEY POINTS
• Look for the opportunity to launch the quick counter
attack
• Fit enough to press for the whole game
• Plenty of shooting from outside penalty area
• Strong mentality, good fighting spirit
• Build-up from the back slow at times
• Like to use some long passes
• Pretty strong in 1 v 1 duel
• Looked for opportunity to launch a quick counter-
attack
• Like to use some long passes

STYLE OF PLAY
• Tried to block opponent’s attacks with physical
strength when in opposing half
• The desire of the players was strong
• 3-1 Tried using target man but lacked finishing
• 4-0 The system was tried intermittently, but the
players’ understanding was somewhat lacking.
• Should have attempted more counter attacks
through GK and defenders

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

GOALSCORING ANALYSIS

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

GOALSCORING ANALYSIS

HOW GOALS WERE SCORED WHEN GOALS WERE SCORED

NO. GOAL TYPE GOALS OVERALL [32 MATCHES]
1 Ala Play - on left side 24 1st and 5th minutes 18
2 Ala Play - on right side 14 6th and 10th minutes 27
3 Defence-splitting pass 41 11th and 15th minutes 23
4 GK Distribution 5 16th and 20th minutes 20
5 Solo effort 44 21st and 25th minutes 26
6 Defensive error 11 26th and 30th minutes 28
7 Rebound 16 31st and 35th minutes 20
8 5 Player attack (Power Play) 10 36th and 40th minutes 39
9 After a corner kick - left side 5 TOTAL 203
10 After a corner kick - right side 4
11 Direct from a free-kick 3
12 Following from a free-kick 2
13 Kick-in 11
14 Penalty 10m 2
15 Penalty 6m 3
TOTAL 203

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

GOALSCORING ANALYSIS

WHERE GOALS WERE SCORED 42.5% 32.9% 3.87% 1.29% 11.6%

WHERE GOALS WERE SCORED GOALS PERCENTAGE 92 95 10 2 16
Penalty mark 3 1.935% 5.8%
1.93%

Inside penalty area

Between 2nd penalty

and halfway line
Between penalty
and 2nd penalty

2nd penalty
2nd Penalty 2 1.290% 11

Between penalty mark

and goal line but
outside penalty area
Inside penalty area 92 42.58% 3

From own half

Between penalty mark and goal

PENALTY mark
10 3.870%
line but outside penalty area
Between penalty and 2nd penalty 95 32.90%
Between 2nd penalty and half line 16 11.61%
From own half 11 5.806%

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

GOALSCORING ANALYSIS

GOALS SCORED AVERAGE GOALS SCORED

NO. TEAM GOALS NO. TEAM P AVERAGE SCORE
1 ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 50 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 50 (total) 1 ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 6 8.33
2 UZBEKISTAN 27 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 27 (total) 2 UZBEKISTAN 6 4.5
3 JAPAN 18 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 18 (total) 3 THAILAND 4 4
4 IRAQ 14 (G), 2 (PK), 0 (Own), 16 (total) 4 TAJIKISTAN 3 3.67
5 THAILAND 13 (G), 2 (PK), 1 (Own), 16 (total) 5 JAPAN 6 3
6 LEBANON 11 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 11 (total) 6 LEBANON 4 2.75
7 TAJIKISTAN 10 (G), 1 (PK), 0 (Own), 11 (total) 7 IRAQ 6 2.67
8 CHINA P.R. 8 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 8 (total) 8 CHINESE TAIPEI 3 2.67
9 CHINESE TAIPEI 8 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 8 (total) 9 CHINA P.R. 3 2.67
10 MALAYSIA 3 2.33
GOALS CONCEDED
NO. TEAM P GOALS CONCEDED
1 KOREA REPUBLIC 3 25
2 MYANMAR 3 22
3 UZBEKISTAN 6 20
4 IRAQ 6 18
5 CHINA P.R. 3 18
6 THAILAND 4 16
7 KYRGYZ REPUBLIC 3 11
8 JAPAN 6 10
9 JORDAN 3 10
10 MALAYSIA 3 9

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

GOALSCORING ANALYSIS

TOP SCORERS
NO. NAME TEAM GOALS
1 HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 14 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 14 (total)
2 ALI ASGHAR NAVLIGHE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 12 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 12 (total)
3 MAHDI JAVID ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 10 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 10 (total)
4 CHORIEV DAVRON UZBEKISTAN 7 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 7 (total)
5 MORIOKA KAORU JAPAN 7 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 7 (total)
6 ADILOV MASHRAB UZBEKISTAN 4 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 4 (total)
7 APIWAT CHAEMCHAROEN THAILAND 4 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 4 (total)
8 ARTUR YUNUSOV UZBEKISTAN 4 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 4 (total)
9 FARHAD TAVAKOLI ROOZBAHANI ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 4 (G), 0 (PK), 0 (Own), 4 (total)
10 SUPHAWUT THUEANKLANG THAILAND 3 (G), 1 (PK), 0 (Own), 4 (total)

FASTEST GOAL
NO. NAME TEAM SECONDS
1 SHIMIZU KAZUYA JAPAN 5 Seconds
2 AHMAD ESMAEILPOUR ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 6 Seconds
3 MORIOKA KAORU JAPAN 36 Seconds

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TECHNICAL TOPICS

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TECHNICAL TOPICS
KICK IN FROM SIDELINE IN OWN HALF
Most teams tend to position their GK on the far side
of the court when the opposing team is pressing
high up the court. The player in the anchor position
will move toward the ball as if they want to receive
it. This is just to attract the attention of the defender
in the main. Once they have done this the anchor
will change direction to deliberately move towards
the defender to effectively block the pathway of the
defender from getting to the ball as the player taking
the kick in passes it behind the anchor to the GK on
the far side of the court. This alleviates the pressure
almost immediately as the GK then passes long to a
runner or the pivot (in the main) or can pass down the
line to another attacking player.
KICK IN FROM SIDELINE WITHIN 5M OF
OPPONENT’S GOAL
Nearly all teams attempt a shot from the sideline when
no option has presented itself & the referee’s count is at
3 seconds. The reason for this is try and get a deflection
that may go into the opponent’s goal. This kick in can
result in a deflected goal but can also easily produce a
quick counter attack for the opposition if not executed
properly.
KICK IN FROM SIDELINE WITHIN 10M OF
OPPONENT’S GOAL
Nearly all teams attempt a shot from the sideline from
this position by rolling the ball slightly into the court
for an attacking running toward the ball to take the
shot. Many times, this shot will go towards the back
post at speed for another attacker running into the
position on the back post to meet the shot and tap it
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
home. This can be very effective and does produce
goals. The more experienced teams defending this
kick in have 2 players near the ball and close down this
shot before it even gets momentum.
CORNER KICK OVER THE TOP FOR A
VOLLEY
Nearly all teams attempted this type of corner kick. It is
not dissimilar to a throw in over the top of the defence to
an attacker running around the back of the defence for
a volley shot at the opponent’s goal. Notably, accuracy
in the scoop pass is essential and timing is critical for an
effective shot on target.
GK DISTRIBUTION
It was quite noticeable that the teams who felt under
pressure most from opponents pressing high up
the court would fall back on passing to their GK to
play a long pass to either their pivot or a runner.
These passes were played with proficiency into the
opposite corners of the court as far as they could
kick the ball. Of course, some GKs had tremendous
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TECHNICAL TOPICS

accuracy where others lacked the finesse required to

keep the ball in play. When the ball was kept in play,
the team had a chance to score.

POWER PLAY
The Power Play was a common fall-back play when
teams were behind and needed to score goals. This,
naturally, had varying degrees of success. The more
experienced teams invariably scored against the

lesser teams that were trying to implement this system
while the evenly matched teams had much better
success. Noted here was how effective this tactic was
for Malaysia. They always looked dangerous when
implementing the Power Play, especially in their first 2
games. They turned around the result in the first game
against Vietnam by scoring to level and then had the
momentum to grab a winner virtually on the buzzer.
The second game was even more interesting as they
came back from 1-4 down to level the scores but then
decided to play it safe and be content with a draw,
as that would have seen them safely through to the
QF. However, once they took their foot off the pedal
Chinese Taipei came charging back and duly scored a
5th goal to win the game.
SHIELDING THE BALL
This technique of the game has improved immensely
across the teams that are slowly bridging the gap
to the top tier. The ability to shield the ball from an
opponent in order to either lay off to a runner or to
recycle the ball is very important in today’s game. It
seems obvious that this technique has been worked
on in training sessions.

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TALKING POINTS

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TALKING POINTS
FINISHING CHANCES
This area of the game is still an Achilles heel for Asian
teams. The ASEAN & East Zone teams tend to fall
into this category more so than the other two zones
represented in the finals. It seems they have good
speed and knowledge of the game but the art of
shooting, or rather, finishing, is something that needs
work on. Only Japan and Thailand seem to have been
able to come up with a good solution to this problem.
UNDER PRESSURE WHEN IN POSSESSION
OF THE BALL
The more experienced teams under pressure were
able to revert to the 1-4-0 system and give close short
accurate passes to find space for a runner mainly down
the flank. The less experienced teams would pass back
to their GK who then passed long to a runner or the
pivot (in the main) or passed down the line to another
attacking player. These were the two main ways team’s
coped with pressure on their defence.
COACHES
There were 11 Asian coaches as opposed to 5 foreign
coaches. However there were 6 teams with coaches
from different countries other than their home country.
The teams with foreign coaches were the hosts, Chinese
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
Taipei (9th), as well as Vietnam (7th), Thailand (6th),
Japan (2nd) and China (13th).
The other country who had a coach from a different
country was Lebanon (5th) whose coach came from
Iran. Looking at these results it shows that 3 of the top
4 teams utilised coaches from their own country with
success. The question that comes up now is “Should
countries develop their own coaches in order to
progress their own expertise or do they still need to
rely on foreign coaches?”
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PLAYERS TO WATCH

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

PLAYERS TO WATCH

GOALKEEPERS

ALIREZA SAMIMI - IR Iran HIGOR PIRES – Japan

With his best years still ahead of him, Alireza Samimi remains one of the Japan’s No. 2 matched IR Iran’s Alireza Samimi’s feat of two clean sheets.
best goalkeepers in Asian Futsal. Agile and quick on his feet, the Islamic Despite conceding 10 goals in the tournament, the flamboyant Higor Pires
Republic of Iran’s shot stopper conceded just six goals – the best in the was probably the standout keeper in the tournament with his ability to read
tournament and kept two clean sheets. plays and adapt quickly, making him a fan favourite.

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PLAYERS TO WATCH
ANCHOR
FARHAD TAVAKOLI ROOZBAHANI - IR Iran
Farhad Tavakoli finished the tournament with four goals,
one shy of his five-goal achievement in the 2016 edition.
A vital member of the Iran team, the 29-year- old was
instrumental in Iran’s link play, often intercepting passes
and disrupting opponents’ attacking rhythm. He also
produced seven assists throughout the tournament.
JASSAM SALEH ANAN – Bahrain
Jassam Saleh Anan was instrumental for Bahrain during
qualifying as well as the Finals – where they finished
eighth. With his surging runs down the flanks, Saleh
Anan impressed during the Finals, especially during
the group matches against hosts Chinese Taipei and
Malaysia.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
KRITSADA WONGKAEO – Thailand
Kritsada Wongkaeo helped Thailand reach the quarter-
finals, by finishing second in their group. Kritsada
fluid style of play helped his teammates amass 16
goals during the Finals. He finished the tournament
with a goal in the opening match against Jordan and
grabbing two assists.
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PLAYERS TO WATCH

ANCHOR

VU QUOC HUNG – Vietnam CHI SHENG-FA - Chinese Taipei

Vu Quoc Hung played an important role in getting
Vietnam into the Finals. Vu’s ability to hold up play and
dictate the flow of attack allowed Vietnam to emerge
as group winners. Vu was at his best especially against
Chinese Taipei and Malaysia.
Chi Sheng-Fa starred for hosts Chinese Taipei in the
Finals with his commanding influence and often the
lynchpin for their attacks. Chi finished the tournament
with a goal and an assist.

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

PLAYERS TO WATCH

ALA

RAFAEL HENMI – Japan
Rafael Henmi has matured as a winger since winning
the 2012 AFC Futsal Player of the Year. Henmi was most
effective in the semi-finals against Iraq as Japan went
on to win 3-0.
TOMOKI YOSHIKAWA - Japan
Tomoki Yoshikawa has formed a formidable partnership
alongside teammate Rafael Henmi. Yoshikawa was
most impressive in the quarter-final as Japan beat
Bahrain 2-0.
ALI ASGHAR HASSANZADEH- IR Iran
The three-time AFC Futsal Championship MVP was the
most influential player for Iran during the tournament.
Quick on the counter-attacks and fluid on and off the
ball, Hassanzadeh scored 12 goals and contributed
five assists for Iran as he bettered his tally from 2016
where he scored six.

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PLAYERS TO WATCH
ALA
MAHDI JAVID - IR Iran
Mahdi Javid was the bright spark for Iran as he knocked
in 10 goals, two more than his tally in 2016 and
contributed nine assists – the highest in the tournament.
A clinical finisher, Javid was at his best in the semi-final
win against Uzbekistan – where he scored a hat-trick as
Iran won the tie 7-1.
CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
HASAN ALI JABBAR – Iraq TRAN THAI HUY – Vietnam
Hasan Ali Jabbar scored three goals in the tournament A skilful player, Tran Thai Huy helped Vietnam reach
and was most effective during their come-from- the quarter-finals after finishing top of their group.
behind win over China in the group stage. Ali Jabbar’s
two goals against China spurred Iraq to a 4-2 win. He
was also instrumental in their 3-2 win over Myanmar.
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PLAYERS TO WATCH
ALA
ARTUR YUNUSOV – Uzbekistan
Artur Yunosov scored four goals for Uzbekistan and
was at his best against Iraq in the third-place playoff,
where he scored two goals to keep them in the game.
Uzbekistan went on to win the tie 2-1 on penalties after
the match ended 4-4 after extra time.
CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
DAVRON CHORIEV– Uzbekistan
Davron Choriev was the top scorer for Uzbekistan,
netting seven goals and raking up four assists.
Choriev’s ability to influence the game through his
goals was apparent during Uzbekistan’s wins against
Korea Republic, Tajikistan and Vietnam.
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PLAYERS TO WATCH
PIVOT
AHMAD ESMAEILPOUR - IR Iran
Arguably one of the most recognisable faces in the
game, Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ahmad Esmaeilpour
finished the tournament with three goals and
contributed three assists. Esmaeilpour was at his best
in the 9-1 win against Thailand in the quarter-finals.
HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI- IR Iran
Hossein Tayebibidgoli was the top scorer of the
tournament with 14 goals – one goal shy of his tally
in 2016 and contributed six assists. Apart from being
a prolific scorer, Tayebibidgoli also played a vital role
in Islamic Republic of Iran’s quest of landing title No.
12. Tayebibidgoli was at his best in games against
Myanmar, China PR and Iraq.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
KAZUYA SHIMIZU– Japan
Kazuya Shimizu was instrumental for Japan during the
tournament. With his sublime dribbling skills, Shimizu
helped Japan to the final, where they eventually lost
4-0 to Islamic Republic of Iran.
 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

PLAYERS TO WATCH

PIVOT

KAORU MORIOKA– Japan LIN CHIH-HUNG - Chinese Taipei

Despite being the oldest player in the tournament, Lin Chih-Hung finished the tournament with three
Kaoru Morioka excelled for Japan netting seven goals goals and was outstanding in the 5-4 win against
and two assists making him the standout player for his Malaysia where he scored a double.
country. With his ability to dictate play, the influential
37-year- old was most effective in the 4-2 win against
Tajikistan and against Korea Republic – scoring four
goals.

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MAN OF THE MATCH

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MAN OF THE MATCH

GROUP A
DATE FIXTURE PLAYER
01 Feb,18 VIETNAM vs MALAYSIA VU DUC TUNG - VIETNAM
01 Feb,18 CHINESE TAIPEI vs BAHRAIN MOHAMED RADHI ALSANDI - BAHRAIN
03 Feb,18 BAHRAIN vs VIETNAM PHUNG TRONG LUAN - VIETNAM
03 Feb,18 MALAYSIA vs CHINESE TAIPEI LIN CHIEN-HSUN - CHINESE TAIPEI
05 Feb,18 MALAYSIA vs BAHRAIN MOHAMED RADHI ALSANDI - BAHRAIN
05 Feb,18 CHINESE TAIPEI vs VIETNAM VU DUC TUNG - VIETNAM

GROUP B
DATE FIXTURE PLAYER
01 Feb,18 JAPAN vs TAJIKISTAN MORIOKA KAORU - JAPAN
01 Feb,18 UZBEKISTAN vs KOREA REPUBLIC CHORIEV DAVRON - UZBEKISTAN
03 Feb,18 KOREA REPUBLIC vs JAPAN MORIOKA KAORU - JAPAN
03 Feb,18 TAJIKISTAN vs UZBEKISTAN DAVRON CHORIEV - UZBEKISTAN
05 Feb,18 UZBEKISTAN vs JAPAN HOSHI SHOTA - JAPAN
05 Feb,18 TAJIKISTAN vs KOREA REPUBLIC HAMIDOV RUSTAM - TAJIKISTAN

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MAN OF THE MATCH

GROUP C
DATE FIXTURE PLAYER
02 Feb,18 IRAQ vs CHINA P.R. HASAN ALI JABBAR - IRAQ
02 Feb,18 ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs MYANMAR HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI - ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
04 Feb,18 MYANMAR vs IRAQ HASAN ALI JABBAR - IRAQ
04 Feb,18 CHINA P.R. vs ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI - ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
06 Feb,18 ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs IRAQ HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI - ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
06 Feb,18 CHINA P.R. vs MYANMAR ZHANG YAMENG - CHINA PR

GROUP D
DATE FIXTURE PLAYER
02 Feb,18 KYRGYZ REPUBLIC vs LEBANON AHMAD KHEIR EL DINE - LEBANON
02 Feb,18 THAILAND vs JORDAN KRITSADA WONGKAEO - THAILAND
04 Feb,18 JORDAN vs KYRGYZ REPUBLIC ALIMOV MAKSAT - KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
04 Feb,18 LEBANON vs THAILAND AHMAD KHEIR EL DINE - LEBANON
06 Feb,18 THAILAND vs KYRGYZ REPUBLIC SUPHAWUT THUEANKLANG - THAILAND
06 Feb,18 LEBANON vs JORDAN ALI EL HOMSI - LEBANON

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

MAN OF THE MATCH

QUARTER FINALS
DATE FIXTURE PLAYER
08 Feb,18 LEBANON vs IRAQ ZAHER MAHDI HADI - IRAQ
08 Feb,18 ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs THAILAND AHMAD ESMAEILPOUR - ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
08 Feb,18 JAPAN vs BAHRAIN YOSHIKAWA TOMOKI - JAPAN
08 Feb,18 VIETNAM vs UZBEKISTAN DAVRON CHORIEV - UZBEKISTAN

SEMI FINALS
DATE FIXTURE PLAYER
09 Feb,18 IRAQ vs JAPAN HENMI KATSUTOSHI RAFAEL - JAPAN
09 Feb,18 ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN vs UZBEKISTAN MAHDI JAVID - ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

3rd/4th PLACING
DATE FIXTURE PLAYER
11 Feb,18 IRAQ vs UZBEKISTAN ARTUR YUNUSOV - UZBEKISTAN

FINAL
DATE FIXTURE PLAYER
11 Feb,18 JAPAN vs ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN FARHAD TAVAKOLI ROOZBAHANI - ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF
IRAN

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

COACHES TALKING POINTS

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

COACHES TALKING POINTS

Japan had less than a week to prepare for the AFC Futsal
Championship Chinese Taipei 2018, according to head
coach Bruno Garcia, but the Spaniard continuously
expressed his pride and confidence in the team despite
the short preparation, saying: “Our squad had little
time in between the F.League and the tournament but
my confidence in my team is very high, and I trust my
players”.

Even with the little recovery time between the group

stages and the quarter-finals, as well as the semis and
the final, Garcia said the team had a training camp that
had planned for such scenarios, which made Japan well
prepared to quickly adapt.

“We were aware of the tournament schedule ahead of

time, so it’s something we were ready for,” said the former
Thai Son Nam FC coach.

However, it was not meant to be as Japan suffered

heartbreak in the final, losing 4-0 to champions Islamic
Republic of Iran.

Both teams were equally matched, but the East Asians
conceded a goal a minute from the break and couldn’t
recover as Iran struck three more after the breather for a
convincing win.
The 44-year-old coach acknowledged Iran’s superiority
and their efficiency in finishing their runs, in which the 12-
time champions excelled, but Garcia vowed to return to
the AFC Futsal Championship with an improved team.
“We played face-to-face against Iran and in the first half,
we followed our match plan, where they only scored in
the final minute, caused by one mistake we couldn’t avoid.
But in the second half, they scored again, although we still
kept playing well. We had our chances, but didn’t score.
“The only difference, compared to our other matches, was
the efficiency. Efficiency is the most important thing in a
match, and in the final, Iran were more efficient compared
to Japan.
“There are definitely things that we have to improve on
our end. Some mistakes that we made against Iran, they
were defensive mistakes. Against other teams might not
be a problem, but with a team like Iran, they will take those
chances to score.
“We will take note of our mistakes and we will come back
again to earn more success. We need to increase our
level, and we will do it. I assure you, we will do it.”
The Samurai Blue introduced several young talents in the
2018 edition - Shimizu Kazuya, who starred in the 2017
AFC U20 Futsal Championship in Thailand last May -
among them, and Garcia believes the young players have
adapted well to the Japanese playstyle.
Garcia indicated that professional futsal players in Japan
are veterans but said the Japan Football Association has
a development programme to groom budding players.

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COACHES TALKING POINTS
“In the futsal clubs in Japan, the average age is too high,
and we need to change that, where we are making the
change first in the national team.
“We need to think of the next generation of the team. We
have a very clear strategic plan, where we are looking to
revitalise the national team with our youth.
“For example, in the 2017 Asian Indoor Games, the
average age of our team was 22.7-years-old. And we are
now preparing players with short, medium and long-term
plans.”
IR Iran head coach Mohammed Nazemasharieh also
revealed that the Central Asians already had their sights
on the future, and have already begun planning for the
next generation of futsal players, saying: “We have a
vision, it started in 2016 which told us to pay attention
to our youth, keeping them busy with development
and grow them as potential national team players, even
though we were ahead.
“Now, we have already trained a really good youth team,
and they would, in fact, be our main players in 2020. So
you’ll be sure to watch a revamped team then.”
Iran took the lead in the first half with skipper and Most
Valuable Player Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh finding the back
of the net in the 19th minute, and continued to dominate
the second half with goals from Farkhad Tavakoli, Hussein
Tayebi and Hassanzadeh again to seal a comprehensive
win over Japan.
Nazemarsharieh also attributed the victory to the aid
provided by the team’s technical group, saying: “I am also
proud of my colleagues in the technical group who have
helped us, supporting each other like brothers. Whenever
we had any problems, they would advise us.”
Despite pulling off some of the best performances in
the tournament, Nazemasharieh constantly pushed his
charges to outdo their previous match performances,
and improve on their concentration and fitness, which he
believes is one of the keys to their success.
“The main thing for us is concentration, and if our players
have that, they are going to perform beautifully. We
also have to improve on our fitness, because that is the
fundamental factor to even start comparing ourselves
with the best teams, not just in Asia but in the world.”
Iran finished third in the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup in
Colombia, after beating Portugal 4-3 on penalties after a
2-2 draw, and Nazemasharieh expressed that it has been
a burden for the champions as it meant having to live up
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
to the expectations in Asia, but he believed that their
victory has placed futsal in a more prominent light in
the Continent.
“More focus and attention has been given to futsal
development after our achievement, and it’s clear
to see from the performance shown throughout the
tournament that every team has improved.”
There was no doubt that Nazemasharieh was proud
of his side’s accomplishment, saying: “I am proud of
my players, proud of these boys who are obeying my
game plan like soldiers. Our team is a great team.
“It was clear that we’ve shown a fantastic performance
and proved to everybody that we’re the best team in
Asia. In fact, there were good reasons behind as you’ve
seen. We had the top goal scorer, MVP and the team
with the least goals conceded. That shows that our
team is a little far ahead in Asia.”
 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

REFEREEING REPORT

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

REFEREEING REPORT
DATE OF TOURNAMENT : 1 - 11 FEBRUARY 2018
VENUE : CHINESE TAIPEI
MAIN STADIUM : XINZHUANG GYMNASIUM
2ND STADIUM : UNIVERSITY OF TAIPEI GYMNASIUM

FUTSAL REFEREE INSTRUCTORS/ASSESSORS

1. Abdulrahman Abdulqader Abdulla [BHR]
2. Kim Jang Kwan [KOR]
3. Porferio JR Jemenico Barlas [PHI]
4. Vadim Baratov [TKM]

FITNESS REFEREES INSTRUCTOR

1. Mr. Rustam Abdulloev [TJK]

FUTSAL REFEREES
1. Turner Darius Mark [AUS]
2. Husain Ali Albahhar [BHR]
3. Liu Jianqio [CHN]
4. An Ran [CHN]
5. Mahmoudreza Nasirloo [IRN]
6. Hasan Mohammed Al-Gburi [IRQ]
7. Tomohiro Kozaki [JPN] INTRODUCTION
8. Nurdin Bukuev [KGZ] The final round of competition: The 4 Referee Instructors/Assessors, 1 Referee Fitness
9. Kim Jong Hee [KOR] Instructor, 18 Referees and 2 standby Referees appointed were from the AFC Elite list
2018. All the appointed Referees were assessed, guided and supported during this
10. Mohamad Chami [LIB]
tournament and they performed very well.
11. Helday Idang [MAS]
12. Rey Martinez Ritaga [PHI] ARRIVAL OF MATCH OFFICIALS
13. Yuttakon Maiket [THA] All the Futsal Referees, Referees Instructors and Referees Fitness Instructor reported
14. Azat Hajypolatov [TKM] on 28th January 2018.
15. Lee Po-Fu [TPE]
16. Fahad Badir Alhosani [UAE] PREPARATORY COURSE
17. Anatoliy Rubakov [UZB] The aim of the Preparatory Course is to ensure the referees are prepared physically
18. Truong Quoc Dung [VIE] and mentally to officiate the “Top” AFC Futsal Competition. Three main elements
conducted during the course are:
STAND-BY REFEREES
1. Fitness-check
1. Osama Saeed Idrees Sedaif [BHR] 2. Theoretical Session
2. Hiroyuki Kobayashi [JPN] 3. Practical Session

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REFEREEING REPORT
FITNESS CHECK
The fitness check for Referees was conducted on 30th
January 2018 at University of Taipei Gymnasium at 9.99-
11.00 am. All Referees and Standby Referees passed
the required time for the fitness check. The fitness check
was conducted by appointed Referees Fitness Instructor
Mr. Rustam Abdulloev and assisted by four Referee
Assessors/Instructors. The medical team and ambulance
were present to assist.
THEORETICAL SESSION and the instructors. The transport during training and
Presentations by the Instructors increased the referees’
knowledge. The Preparatory Course was conducted on
29, 30 & 31 January 2018. Referees were urged to be
committed, courageous and be consistent when they
performed on the pitch.
The key points covered and delivered were as follows:
1. Consistency/Uniformity on Foul Regnasation/Degree
of Foul
2. Protecting the Players
3 Letting Game Flow
4. Substitution Bench Control
5. Other related topics
PRACTICAL SESSION
Two practical sessions during the Preparatory Course
were held at Xinzhuang Gymnasium on 29 January
and University of Taipei Gymnasium on 31 January
2018 from 4.00 – 6.00pm. Objectives of the session
were to do the inspection of the venue [check the
pitch marking, facilities of the pitch etc. according
to the Laws of the Game requirements] and also to
familiarise the referees with the Scoreboard Control
and Venue environments. On 31 January at University
of Taipei Gymnasium, Referees Instructors conducted
the simulation training
APPOINTMENT OF REFEREES
Appointment of referees were decided for first match
days and announced 1 day before the match (after
the debriefing session) and distributed to the referees.
The lists of appointments were given to the Head
of Delegation, Head of Administration and Match
Commissioners. Subsequent appointments were
distributed to the relevant officials after discussion
with the Instructors for each match day. Appointments
were based on the neutrality between the referees and
the playing teams, referees’ performance during the
competition etc.
RELEASE OF MATCH OFFICIALS
After the quarter-finals stage, 2 RAs and 8 Referees were
released from the competition
DAILY BRIEFING & DE-BRIEFING
Briefing and de-briefing sessions were held in the
Ambassador Hotel, at 10.00am – 12.00pm. The debriefing
session was to recap the referees’ performance and
correct or explain the referees’ decision on the previous
day’s matches to improve further. Appointed RAs
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
conducted the session and they used the appropriate
incidents clips which cited from the match incident clips
prepared by resources staff. Team tactics from that game
were also discussed for referees’ consideration for the
next games involving these teams.
HOSPITALITY BY LOC
On the refereeing side, the LOC did exceptionally well.
The LOC and the hotel staff were very accommodating
and provided good assistance and support to the referees
on match days was very well coordinated. The referees
were given free internet access and gym. However, the
swimming pool was closed by the hotel management
due to the weather condition, preventing the referees
from undergoing recovery after each match day.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF THE REFEREES
All matches were generally played in the spirit of fair play
and the players respected the decisions of the referees.
Teamwork, cooperation and communication among the
referees were encouraging. The overall performance of
the referees was very good
 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

STAR SELECTION

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

STAR SELECTION

DREAM TEAM - STARTING FIVE

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN JAPAN JAPAN
ALIREZA SAMIMI (GK) No. 2 FARHAD TAVAKOLI No. 13 A. HASSANZADEH No 7 HENMI KATSUTOSHI RAFAEL No. 7 YOSHIKAWA TOMOKI No. 6

DREAM TEAM - RESERVES

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN UZBEKISTAN
HIGOR PIRES (GK) No 2 AHMAD ESMAEILPOUR No. 3 MAHDI JAVID No. 14 HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI No 10 ARTUR YUNUSOV No 11

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

AWARDS

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AWARDS
FAIRPLAY AWARD: IRAQ
The AFC Fair Play Award is awarded to the team
which has collected the most Fair Play points in the
competition. Iraq won the AFC Futsal Championship
2018 Fair Play Award after amassing 55.21 points.
FAIR PLAY AWARD CRITERIA:
Teams are assessed in five categories, with a further
category relating to the behavior of the public. This is
how the points are calculated.
1. Red and Yellow Card (max. 10 marks):
If a player who is on a yellow card (-1 point) commits
another yellow card offence, only the red card will
count (-3 points). But if a player who has already been
cautioned then commits a red card offence, both cards
will count (so the player will receive -4 points). This is
the only section in which it is possible to receive a score
below zero.
2. Positive Play (max. 10 marks):
This is designed to encourage attractive play that will
increase the enjoyment of spectators and the following
areas are taken into consideration:
Positive
• Using attacking tactics, not defensive
• Speeding up the game
• Efforts to gain time (e.g. bringing the ball back into
play quickly even if the team is in a winning position)
• Continuing to push for goals when in a winning
position
Negative
• Slowing down the game
• Time wasting
• Tactics based on foul play
• Play-acting (simulation)
3. Respect towards the opponent (max. 5 marks):
Players should respect the Laws of the Game and
abide by the spirit of Fair Play. The Fair Play delegate’s
assessment will not double count items already
covered in the ‘Red and Yellow cards’ category, but the
seriousness of the offences punished by cards may be
considered. This category will also include offences
overlooked by the referee. Any single major incident
between players may have a significant bearing on the
final score.
4. Respect towards the referee (max. 5 marks):
Players are expected to respect the officials - including
assistants - at all times.The Fair Play delegate’s
assessment will not double count items already covered
in the ‘Red and Yellow cards’ but the seriousness of the
offences punished by cards may be considered. Any
single major incident may have a significant bearing on
the score.A positive attitude, including the acceptance
of doubtful decisions without protest, will be rewarded
with high marks.
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CHINESE TAIPEI 2018
5. Behaviour of the officials (max. 5 marks):
Team officials, including coaches, are expected to
develop the sporting, technical and tactical level of their
team – and instruct players to behave in accordance
with the Fair Play principles. Positive and negative
aspects of the team officials’ conduct will be assessed
– such as whether they calm down or provoke angry
players or fans and how they accept the decisions of
the referee. Co-operation with the media will also be
taken into account. Any single major incident may have
a significant bearing on the final mark, as will breaches
of the regulations governing the dugout and technical
area.
For categories 1-5, the overall assessment of a team
is obtained by adding up the points given for the
individual categories, dividing this sum by the maximum
points score (40) and multiplying it by 10.
Total Number of points (x 10 / (40*)).
In addition, there is one further category assessed by
the Fair Play delegate.
6. Behaviour of the crowd (max. 5 marks):
All teams begin with a score of 5 points. A maximum of
a further 5 points can be added for:
• Verbal support in acceptable form
• Covert recognition of outstanding play by the
opponents
A maximum of 5 points can be deducted for:
• Persistent foul and abusive language
• Persistent abuse of the officials’ decisions
• Aggressive and threatening conduct towards
opposing fans
 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

AWARDS

MVP AWARD: TOP GOAL SCORER AWARDS:

ALI ASGHAR HASSANZADEH HOSSEIN TAYEBIBIDGOLI

IR Iran’s Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh was crowned the AFC Futsal Championship Most Hossein Tayebibidgoli of IR Iran emerged as the AFC Futsal Championship Top
Valuable Player (MVP). The 31-year-old scored four times during the competition. Scorer with 14 goals. Assists will be included if two or more players are equal
on goals scored.

MVP SELECTION CRITERIA: • Technical skills

1. Semi-finalist Team. • Tactical Awareness
2. No red card received. • Physical Fitness
3. Major impact on outcome of the match. • Sporting Behaviour
• Inspiration to others • Fair Play

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

VENUES

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

VENUE

XINZHUANG GYMNASIUM, CHINESE TAIPEI UNIVERSITY OF TAIPEI GYMNASIUM, CHINESE TAIPEI

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TECHNICAL STUDY GROUP

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

TECHNICAL STUDY GROUP

The AFC Futsal Championship Chinese Taipei was held successfully in Taipei City from 1 Feb – 1 Feb 2018. 16 TSG COORDINATOR COUNTRY
countries competed in the Continent’s premier Futsal Championship.
MOHD IZZAT NAZRIN MALAYSIA
This was the 15th edition of the AFC Futsal Championship and the majority of the teams showed vast
improvement, with most of the matches played at a high tempo. Two (2) Technical Analysts Groups (TAG) from TSG ANALYSTS COUNTRY
the AFC Futsal Elite Instructors were selected by the Head of the AFC Futsal & Beach Soccer Development,
alongside 12 assistants. The TAGs assistants were chosen from Taipei City to perform match analyses, data and SCOTT GILLIGAN AUSTRALIA
statistic collection for future technical manual development. LEE YOUNG JIN KOREA REPUBLIC

TSG ASSISTANTS COUNTRY

HUNG YI-YU CHINESE TAIPEI
LIU,CHI-CHAO CHINESE TAIPEI
YANG SHENG-WEI CHINESE TAIPEI
TSAI CHIA-FENG CHINESE TAIPEI
HU YA-WEN CHINESE TAIPEI
LIN PO-CHANG CHINESE TAIPEI
CHANG LI-CHUAN CHINESE TAIPEI
LIU,YI-SHAN CHINESE TAIPEI
LEE MING-YOU CHINESE TAIPEI
KA MENG DE CHINESE TAIPEI
LU,CHIA-HSIEN CHINESE TAIPEI
LEE CHUN-JUNG CHINESE TAIPEI

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

EXTRA-TIME

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

EXTRA-TIME

TOP 10 GOALS BEST SET PIECES BEST POWER PLAY

(Click on image for video link) (Click on image for video link) (Click on image for video link)

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

EXTRA TIME

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

EXTRA TIME

FUTSAL & BEACH SOCCER COMMITTEE

NAME POSITION COUNTRY
MR. ALI KAFASHIAN NAEINI CHAIRPERSON ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
MR. HACHEM SAYED ALI HAIDAR DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON LEBANON
MR. ALI AHMED AL BUAINAIN MEMBER BAHRAIN
MR. KAZI NABIL AHMED MEMBER BANGLADESH
MR. ERIC FOK KAI-SHAN MEMBER HONG KONG
MR. YAHYA Z. MOHSIN MEMBER IRAQ
MR. BENJAMIN CHIO MEMBER MACAU
MR. BASSAM ADEEL JALEEL MEMBER MALDIVES
SHEIKH HAMED AL MAAMARI MEMBER OMAN
MR. ADISAK BENJASIRIWAN MEMBER THAILAND
MR. AZAT MURADOV MEMBER TURKMENISTAN
MR. JAHANGIR USMANOV MEMBER UZBEKISTAN

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 CHINESE TAIPEI 2018

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
EDITORIAL DESIGN & LAYOUT
ALI TARGHOLIZADEH NADIA JAMIL
MOHD IZZAT NAZRIN ROFIZAN RAHMAN
HELEN SUMMERS
RHYS LEE PHOTOGRAPHY
LAGARDÈRE SPORTS
AUDIO VISUAL ADAM AIDIL PADALI
ZAINOL TALEP LOC
HAZIMI HALIM

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